CAMDEN, NY - On a bright and sunny November morning at Camden High School, you may be surprised to learn that preparations for upcoming winter storms were underway. Students in the meteorology and broadcast journalism courses had an opportunity to meet with scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on Friday, November 4th.
The team of scientists is from the NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory located in Norman, Oklahoma. They are working in partnership with the National Science Foundation’s Project L.E.E. (Lake Effect Electrication) to compile a unique study on thundersnow in the Tug Hill region throughout the Winter months. Other participating partners in Project L.E.E. include NASA, Georgia Tech, and Texas Tech. The goal of the study is to gain an understanding of how often thundersnow occurs in an area that receives lake effect snow.
To record their findings, the Project LEE team has set up a total of sixteen lightning sensors around the Tug Hill region to form a lightning mapping array. This set of sensors has the ability to detect lightning strikes through the VHF radio signals that are emitted by each bolt of lightning. From the data created, the scientists can gain an understanding of how the lightning traveled, the size and shape of each bolt, and where the lightning originated. One of the sensors for this project is housed at Camden High School. Camden’s selection as a sensor site led to this exciting educational opportunity for our students, as the students met with scientists before the equipment was unloaded at its current site on the CHS campus. Meteorology students, led by Mr. Dustin Scholz, had an opportunity to meet real-world professionals and ask questions, while our broadcast journalism class, led by Mr. Connor Downing, had an opportunity to participate and record footage for future projects. Scholz’s class plans to follow along throughout the winter as the project proceeds to gain a stronger understanding of the lake effect systems that define so much of the weather in our backyard.
The Camden Central School District would like to thank the following individuals for their time and energy in coming to present to our class about this exciting project!
Vanna Chmielewski, Research Physical Scientist at NOAA/OAR National Severe Storms Laboratory
Jacquelyne Ringhausen, Postdoctoral Research Scientist at NOAA/OAR NSSL and Cooperative Institute for severe and high-impact weather research and operations (CIWRO) with the University of Oklahoma.
Vincente Salinas, Postdoctoral Research Scientist at NOAA/OAR NSSL and CIWRO with the University of Oklahoma.
Resources
To view the data from an array similar to the one that is being installed around the region, head to: https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/tools/oklma/.
Free live updates to the data they are currently collecting in this region is available at https://apps.nssl.noaa.gov/oklma/. Just go to “Mobile Network” once you’re on the webpage. The array will be operational soon.
