Weatherford Wind Farm

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Appearance of OK Wind Farms Varies with Time and
Radar Beam Propagation
Weatherford Wind Farm
Blue Canyon Wind Farm
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Blue Canyon Wind Farm Appearance Varies With Beam
Propagation
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Spurious Echo Return from McLean County, IL Wind
Farm
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False Precipitation Estimates Resulting from Wind
Farm (McLean Co, IL)
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Radar Reflectivity Product from Ft Drum, NY
Wind Farm
False echoes from the wind farm are evident note
weather coming from the West. Operators looking
at any single image in the loop, would see what
appears to be thunderstorms, in the area occupied
by the wind farm. See following slide.
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Close up of Ft Drum, NY wind farm Note strong
echoes along the leading edge as well as weak
return behind the turbines, due to multi-path
scattering of radar beam. Weather is
approaching from the West.
Wind Turbines on Ridge
Spurious Multi-path scatter region
RADAR
Wind Turbines on Ridge
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Majority of Turbines
This velocity image matches the previous
reflectivity product. The picture has been
zoomed to show only that area associated with
echoes caused by the wind towers/turbines. The
echoes downrange from the wind towers/turbines
are spurious as shown on the previous slide. Red
colors indicate outbound velocities (going away
from the radar) and green colors indicate inbound
velocities (coming toward the radar). Red colors
in close proximity to green colors can be
indicators of tornadoes, mesocyclones,
convergence or divergence, all of which can be
indicators of severe weather.
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When wind turbines are placed within 2-3 miles as
they are to the north-east-southeast of this
site, even the data from higher elevations are
affected. This reflectivity product shows the
echoes generated by the towers/turbines on the
second elevation (nominal 1.5 degrees). The
corresponding velocity image follows.
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Wind Turbine Return
Clear Air Return
Velocity image from the second elevation scan.
This second tilt is contaminated by spurious
echoes, and mix with environmental wind data.
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Great Falls, MT
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Impact of Carroll County, Iowa wind farms on
WSR-88D

• Evening of 18 July 2007
• Karl Jungbluth, SOO DMX

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0236 UTC Reflectivity 2007 July 19

• Are returns from Wind Farms or real storms???
• Emergency manager mentioned some confusion as
  storms moved in.
• Question sent to webmaster from a user who had
  trouble differentiating between storms and false
  echoes.

13
0236 UTC Reflectivity 2007 July 19

• Are returns from Wind Farms or real storms???
• Emergency manager mentioned some confusion as
  storm moved in.
• Question sent to webmaster from a user who had
  trouble differentiating between storms and false
  echoes.

Storms
Wind Farms
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0512 UTC Storm Total Precipitation 19 July
2007Erroneous 5 estimates due to wind farms