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Wind farms interfering with weather radar in NY
NWS ^ | Recently | NWS

Posted on 10/14/2009 5:26:24 AM PDT by xcamel

During the last several years, New York State has been a leader in supporting the growth of wind energy. As a result of this effort, there have been several "wind farm" projects developed across the region. In western New York, some of the bigger projects include the towns of Sheldon, Wethersfield, Eagle/Bliss in Wyoming county. These farms are located between 20 miles and 35 miles directly southeast of the Weather Surveillance Doppler Radar located at the National Weather Service office in Cheektowaga (KBUF) in northern Erie county. The towers are on top of ridges at elevations that exceed 1600 feet above mean sea level.

Unfortunately, the Wyoming county wind farms and their turbines are within the radar line of sight (RLOS) of the NWS doppler radar in Cheektowaga. The height of the wind turbine towers are about 265 feet above the ground, and the turbine blades extend an additional 125 feet. Hence, the top of the wind turbine rotors are about 400 feet above the ground in western and southern Wyoming County.

At this height, the rotating turbine blades of the wind farm impact the KBUF Doppler Radar beam. As you can see in the above image depicting most of western New York, the rotating wind turbines are having an affect on the radar beam.

A small part of the electromagnetic energy radar beam sent from the radar is reflected back by the rotating turbines. The radar processes this "returned energy" as an area of precipitation and plots it accordingly on the map. This contamination of the base reflectivity image as illustrated in the below image, has an effect on the radar algorithms used to estimate rainfall and to detect certain storm characteristics.

See NWS site for graphics..


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: weather; windfarms
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To: xcamel

I saw the charts in the article. They do look like they could cause trouble but, how long have they known this?


41 posted on 10/14/2009 12:02:36 PM PDT by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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To: wolfcreek

About the same length of time the NWS has been being told by the environazis to just ‘shut up and deal with it’...


42 posted on 10/14/2009 12:05:57 PM PDT by xcamel (The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it. - H. L. Mencken)
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To: wolfcreek
They are very necessary for the elimination of mosquitoes and other pests.

(((sigh))) You've been duped by Rachel Carson.
100 things you should know about DDT

43 posted on 10/14/2009 12:06:18 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green

Nope. I’m an organic gardener with a chemically sensitive Wife.

Guess how she became chemically sensitive?

Long term exposure to *experimental* chemicals in an R & D environment.


44 posted on 10/14/2009 12:12:13 PM PDT by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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To: xcamel

LOL! I see your point.

There are some new turbine fields in Corpus Christi.... right across the bay from the oil refineries.

Click here you can see the reflection:

http://www.wunderground.com/radar/radblast.asp?ID=CRP&type=N0R


45 posted on 10/14/2009 12:20:45 PM PDT by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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To: wolfcreek

BINGO!!


46 posted on 10/14/2009 12:21:50 PM PDT by xcamel (The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it. - H. L. Mencken)
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To: xcamel

What strange is, Texas leads the nation in wind power production yet, this problem (if it is one) has never been brought to light. And yes, they generally do put them on ridges here also. The ones along the coast are quite new.


47 posted on 10/14/2009 12:28:14 PM PDT by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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To: wolfcreek
Long term exposure to *experimental* chemicals in an R & D environment.

DDT isn't experimental.
It was demagogued to death by environmental extremists.
It is true, however, that DDT must be used responsibly, just like any other poison, and not sprayed willy-nilly all over the place in excessive quantities by a bunch of morons.

48 posted on 10/14/2009 12:31:31 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green; wolfcreek
and not sprayed willy-nilly all over the place in excessive quantities by a bunch of morons.

Simple solution: restrict the concentrate and sell only pre-diluted.

49 posted on 10/14/2009 12:46:15 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Willie Green

“DDT must be used responsibly”

Absolutely, as with all chemicals.

The one that was pinpointed in causing my Wife’s blood pressure spike, was discontinued. However, any exposure now to certain amounts of certain chemicals does cause problems for her.


50 posted on 10/14/2009 12:49:21 PM PDT by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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To: wolfcreek
"They are very necessary for the elimination of mosquitoes and other pests."

Pretty good eatin' too if you know how to pan fry 'em!

51 posted on 10/14/2009 12:52:46 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: Joe 6-pack

LOL!

Hard to shoot though.


52 posted on 10/14/2009 12:57:46 PM PDT by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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To: wolfcreek
"Hard to shoot though."

That's why you go into the caves while they're hibernating and pluck them off the walls like tomatos.

53 posted on 10/14/2009 12:59:16 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
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To: Joe 6-pack

Think I’ll finish off this invading European dove colony before I go spelunking.

They gots mo meat on um.

http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2004/apr/ed_3/


54 posted on 10/14/2009 1:30:40 PM PDT by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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To: wolfcreek
Unlike white-winged doves, which seem to have spread gradually northward into urban areas in widening concentric rings, possibly in association with the proliferation of backyard feeding, collared-doves have concentrated in small towns around grain elevators, feed stores and livestock-feeding operations

These birds may be city slickers for the most part. Relatively few farms have livestock feeding operations anymore.

55 posted on 10/14/2009 5:16:20 PM PDT by Western Phil
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To: Joe 6-pack; wolfcreek
Pretty good eatin' too if you know how to pan fry 'em!

Try using a wok.
Many of the filthy little vermin come already infested with a side dish of "flied lice".

56 posted on 10/14/2009 5:55:34 PM PDT by Willie Green (Go Pat Go!!!)
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To: Western Phil

These *sky rats* concentrate around my Wife’s feeders, dozens at a time.

Between them and the squirrels, the other birds only get scraps.


57 posted on 10/15/2009 3:41:13 AM PDT by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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To: wolfcreek

Sounds like they are about as nice to have as starlings, english sparrows, Japanese bettles and those Asian lady bugs.


58 posted on 10/15/2009 7:40:56 AM PDT by Western Phil
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To: Western Phil
We already had Grackles by the millions. Now they compete with the Euro-trash dove. We had a major hail storm a couple of years ago and the only birds to get killed were Grackles.
59 posted on 10/15/2009 12:59:17 PM PDT by wolfcreek (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsd7DGqVSIc)
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