Wmi Alhap Final Report 2009

8/13/2019 Wmi Alhap Final Report 2009

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/wmi-alhap-final-report-2009 1/123



A Program for the Seeding of Convective Clouds

to Mitigate Urban Hail Damage in the

Province of Alberta, Canada

For the

Alberta Severe Weather Management SocietyCalgary, Alberta

Canada

By

Weather Modification, Inc.3802 20th Street North

Fargo, North DakotaUSA 58102

www.weathermodification.com

December 2009



1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report summarizes the activities during the 2009 field operations of the Alberta Hail SuppressionProject. This was the fourteenth year of operations, conducted by Weather Modification, Inc. (WMI) of Fargo, North Dakota, under contract with the Alberta Severe Weather Management Society (ASWMS) of Calgary, Alberta. The 2009 field season was the fourth year of the third 5-year contract cycle for this on-going program that began in its present form in 1996. The program continues to be funded entirely byprivate insurance entities in Alberta, with the sole intent the mitigation of the damage to urban propertycaused by hail.

The cloud-seeding project was designated an “on-going program” in 2001 because the insurance lossesdue to hail had been approximately 50% less than expected (based on historical experience) during thefirst five-year contract period 1996-2000. Calgary and Red Deer have seen >30% increases in populationin the last 10 years, and the property values have more than doubled during this time. Calgary’spopulation exceeded 1 million several years ago. A similar hail storm that caused $400 million damage inCalgary in 1991 would almost certainly cause more than $1 billion damage today. Several billion-dollar hail storms have occurred in the USA in the last 5 years.

The project design has remained essentially the same throughout the period, except that a fourth seeding

aircraft was added to the project beginning in the summer of 2008, to improve seeding coverage on dayshaving numerous thunderstorms occurring simultaneously. The program was operational from June 1st

through September 15th, 2009. Only those storms that were believed to pose a hail threat to an urbanarea, as identified by the project’s weather radar situated at the Olds-Didsbury Airport, were actuallyseeded. The project target area covers the region from High River in the south to Lacombe in the north,with priority given to the two largest cities therein: Calgary and Red Deer.

The 2009 field operations overall ran quite smoothly. The flight crews were all very familiar with hailsuppression operations, and many had previous Alberta Project experience. There was a notable changein the WMI project leadership this season, however. Since the program inception in 1996, WMIoperations had been led by Red Deer native Dr. Terry Krauss. In April 2009, Dr. Krauss’ role was shiftedto other responsibilities within Weather Modification’s operations. Project leadership then shifted to W MIDirector of Meteorology, Bruce Boe, and WMI Vice President of Operations, Hans Ahlness. Both Ahlness

and Boe have themselves long histories with weather modification and hail suppression operations. Ahlness has spent much of his 30+-year career in weather modification working on an operational hailsuppression program in the State of North Dakota. Boe began working in weather modification researchin 1974, became a field meteorologist for the North Dakota program in 1982, and then the Director of thatprogram in 1988, where he continued to serve for 13 seasons. The role of W MI Vice President JamesSweeney as primary liaison to the ASWMS remained unchanged, uninterrupted since the program’sinception in 1996. Ahlness and Boe have also been familiar with the Alberta operation throughout thattime. Thus, the change in leadership resulted in no loss of experience or program knowledge. For hispart, Dr. Krauss assisted in the start-up of the 2009 project, and was himself involved in several of thetours provided to employees of some of the project-sponsoring insurance companies.

The 2009 project operational meteorological staff remained a strong, talented cadre. Field operationswere led by Jason Goehring, who conducted Alberta operations for his fifth season. He was ably assistedby Dr. Viktor Makitov, who spent his fourth summer in Alberta on the project. The third meteorologist was

new to the project, but not to hail suppression. Matthew Becker had three season’s experience workingon the North Dakota hail suppression program as a field meteorologist, operating radar and directingseeding aircraft, before coming to Alberta.



2

During the evening of August 2nd a late-night storm was not detected in a timely manner. When detected,the storm was inside the project buffer zone. Though an aircraft was launched as soon as the threat wasrecognized, the storm complex proceeded to track to the south-southeast at about 80 km per hour on adiagonal path across the heart of the target area, from Rocky Mountain House all the way to south of Strathmore. This was an unusual storm in its time of day and it’s very fast movement. Storms typicallydevelop much earlier in the day, and propagate at perhaps half that speed. Though this damaging storm

was seeded, eventually by two aircraft, the effort was less than ideal. Much of the off season preparationfor the 2010 project has been focused on how to prevent such delays from being repeated. Re-allocationof project meteorologist duty time will ensure that the radar is monitored at all times. Late-nightconvection occurs only infrequently in Alberta but the possibility can never be dismissed. Better ways toimprove real-time monitoring of all Environment Canada warnings and severe weather statements arebeing developed and implemented. WMI is again exploring the feasibilty of establishing of a radar-basedautomated alert system that would activate whenever a convective cell is identified by the TITAN radar software. This was previously explored but proved problematic because late-night ground returns,especially from the Rocky Mountains, often become strong enough to be identified as cells. However,there may now be a better way to do this and it is being re-addressed. Protocols that establish whenHAILSTOP aircraft are moved from “telephone standby” to “airport standby”, and when aircraft arelaunched even for patrol flights have been revised to ensure a heighten readiness and further reduceresponse times. The times of all aircraft launch requests made by the project meteorologists to flightcrews will henceforth be included in the radar operator’s log.

The 2009 season was far less active than the norm for Alberta. Hail was reported within the project areaon 23 days this past summer. Larger than golf ball size hail fell on August 2nd. Golf ball size hail wasreported on August 11th and again on August 21st. Walnut size hail was reported on July 12th, July 19th,and on August 9th. Data from crop insurance claims provided by Alberta Agricultural Financial ServicesCorporation in Lacombe indicates that crop damage in 2009 was approximately slightly below average,with a Loss-to-Risk ratio of 0.38 province-wide.

In general, the weather in the project area this summer was cool and dry in June, and then somewhatwarmer and more normal during July and August. Thunderstorms were observed on 64 days during theproject period, compared to 75 days in 2008.

During the 2009 project season there were 81 aircraft flights totaling 109.34 flight hours on 41 days with

operations. A total of 30 storms were seeded during 23 seeding flights (57.10 hours) on 18 days on whichseeding took place. There were 15 patrol flights (20.50 hours), 20 test flights (17.42 hours), and 23“public relations” flights, when aircraft were flown to/from the Operations Centre for tours of the facility byinsurance company representatives (14.32 hours).

The amount of silver-iodide nucleating agent dispensed during the 2009 field season totaled 48.443 kg.This was dispensed in the form of 451 ejectable (cloud-top) flares (9.02 kg seeding agent), 237 burn-in-place flares (35.55 kg seeding agent), and 1,355 minutes of AgI-seeding solution burn (3.873 kg seedingagent).

Four specially equipped cloud seeding aircraft were dedicated to the project. One Piper Cheyenne II anda Cessna 340A were based in Calgary, and a Beech King Air C90 and a Cessna 340A were based in RedDeer. The procedures used in 2009 remained the same as for the previous years. The Calgary office and

aircraft were stationed at the former Morgan Air hangar at the Calgary International Airport. A WMI RedDeer office was set up in the AvTech hangar at the Red Deer Regional Airport.

The aircraft and crews provided a 24-hour service, seven days a week, throughout the project period.Eight full-time pilots and three meteorologists were assigned to the project this year. Overall, thepersonnel, aircraft, and radar performed exceptionally well and there were no interruptions in the service.

A duty meteorologist on one night was late in recognizing a threatening storm, and this has resulted inconsiderable post-analysis so that any recurrences will be avoided in the future. Internet was once againinstalled at the Calgary and Red Deer offices for the pilots so that they could closely monitor the stormevolution and storm motion using the radar images on the web.



3

Several public relations activities occurred this year. A film crew from Veriscope Pictures, representingNational Geographic, visited the program from 9-11 July. HAILSTOP 1 flew from Calgary to Airdrie for the

Airdrie Air Show on 22 July. This proved to be very good for public relations as many spectators wereinterested in the airplane and the hail suppression project. Lead project pilot Bob Gorman wasinterviewed by CTV on August 5th. On 6 August, CHCA News from Red Deer conducted a phone interview of

Chief Meteorologist Jason Goehring regarding the recent storm activity. All of the media coverage was positive.

All of the project’s radar data, meteorological data, and reports have been recorded onto a portable harddrive as a permanent archive for the Alberta Severe W eather Management Society. These data includethe daily reports, radar maps, aircraft flight tracks, as well as meteorological charts for each day. Thesedata can be made available for outside research purposes through a special request to the Alberta SevereWeather Management Society.

A formal statistical evaluation of the hail suppression program is still not possible without acquiring morecomprehensive, detailed, high resolution property insurance claim data. Preliminary assessments fromunofficial reports within the insurance industry indicate that the program has been a financial success butthis has not been verified.



4

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................................. 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................................... 4

LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................................... 6

LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................... 9

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................................. 10

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND............................................................................................ 11

1.1 The 2009 Field Program ............................................................................................................ 121.2 Project Objectives...................................................................................................................... 14

Priori t ies ............................................................................................................................................ 15

2. PROJECT PERSONNEL ................................................................................................................... 16

3. HAIL AND HAIL SUPPRESSION CONCEPTS ................................................................................. 20

3.1 The Formation of Hail ................................................................................................................ 203.2 Hail Suppression........................................................................................................................ 213.3 Precipitation Efficiency............................................................................................................... 22

4. OPERATIONS PLAN..................................................................................................................... 24

4.1 Identification of Hail Producing Storms (Opportunity Recognition) ............................................ 244.2 Onset of Seeding ....................................................................................................................... 244.3 Cloud Seeding Methodology...................................................................................................... 244.4 Cessation of Seeding................................................................................................................. 274.5 Seeding Rates ........................................................................................................................... 27

5. SEEDING AGENTS............................................................................................................................ 29

5.1 Flare Effectiveness .................................................................................................................... 31

6. PROGRAM ELEMENTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE ......................................................................... 34

6.1 Ground School ........................................................................................................................... 346.2 Public Relations ......................................................................................................................... 356.3 Flight Operations........................................................................................................................ 376.4 Cloud Seeding Aircraft............................................................................................................... 38

Piper Cheyenne II ............................................................................................................................. 38

Beech King-Air C90 .......................................................................................................................... 39

C340A Airc raft ................................................................................................................................... 40 6.5 Project Operations Centre ......................................................................................................... 406.6 Radar Specifications .................................................................................................................. 43

D a ta A c q u i s i t i o n ............................................................................................................................... 43

Radar Cal ibrations ............................................................................................................................ 43

Aircraft Tracking ............................................................................................................................... 45

7. SUMMARY OF SEEDING OPERATIONS ......................................................................................... 47

7.1 Flights ........................................................................................................................................ 477.2 Seeding Amounts....................................................................................................................... 487.3 Comparison of 2009 with Previous Seasons ............................................................................. 487.4 Storm Tracks ............................................................................................................................. 53

8. WEATHER FORECASTING .............................................................................................................. 54



5

8.1 The Convective Day Category (CDC)........................................................................................ 548.2 Coordinated Universal Time ...................................................................................................... 558.3 Daily Briefings ............................................................................................................................ 558.4 Meteorological Statistics ............................................................................................................ 558.5 Forecasting Performance .......................................................................................................... 578.6 The Hailcast Model .................................................................................................................... 60

9. CLIMATE PERSPECTIVES ............................................................................................................... 61

10. ALBERTA CROP HAIL INSURANCE RESULTS ......................................................................... 65

11. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................................................. 67

12. REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDED READING ...................................................................... 69

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................. 73

A. ORGANIZATION CHART............................................................................................................... 74B. DAILY WEATHER AND ACTIVITIES SUMMARY TABLE 2009..................................................... 75C. AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS / FLIGHT SUMMARY TABLE 2009................................................... 107

D. FORMS ........................................................................................................................................ 109Daily Forecast Sheet ...................................................................................................................... 110

WMI Radar Observer Lo g ............................................................................................................... 111

WMI Seeding Aircraft Fl ight Log ................................................................................................... 112 E. SPECIFICATIONS FOR PIPER CHEYENNE II AIRCRAFT......................................................... 113F. SPECIFICATIONS FOR BEECHCRAFT KING AIR C90 AIRCRAFT........................................... 114G. SPECIFICATIONS FOR CESSNA C-340 AIRCRAFT.................................................................. 115H. GROUND SCHOOL AGENDA ..................................................................................................... 116I. WMI AIRBORNE GENERATOR SEEDING SOLUTION.............................................................. 117J. DAILY METEOROLOGICAL FORECAST STATISTICS 2009 .................................................... 118K. PROJECT PERSONNEL AND TELEPHONE LIST...................................................................... 121



6

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: The average number of hail days per year, based on the 1955–1995 climate data fromEnvironment Canada and the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).Graphic courtesy of the National Geographic Society (1999). .................................................................... 11

Figure 2: Map of southern Alberta showing the project target area (Figure courtesy J. Renick). ..............14Figure 3 Project support was provided by WMI Senior Vice President Jim Sweeney (left) and Erin Fischer (right)...........................................................................................................................................................16

Figure 4: Support for aviation services was provided and coordinated by Mr. Hans Ahlness, VicePresident-Operations and project co-manager (left) and Mr. Jody Fischer, Chief Pilot (right). .................. 16

Figure 5: The 2009 project meteorologists, in the operations centre at the Olds-Didsbury Airport. Back:Bruce Boe, Project Co-manager (left), and Jason Goehring, Lead Meteorologist. Front: Matt Becker (left)and Dr. Viktor Makitov. (WMI photograph by Terry Krauss.) ..................................................................... 17

Figure 6: Dr. Terry Krauss and 2009 Lead Meteorologist Jason Goehring contemplate meteorologicaldata in the operations center in early June, 2009. (WMI photograph by Bruce Boe.)................................. 17

Figure 7: Calgary-based Pilots-in-Command (Captains), from left to right: Bob Gorman (lead project pilot,

HAILSTOP 1, Cheyenne II N234K), Jeff Allen (HAILSTOP 2, Cessna 340A N457DM), and Ben Hiebert(HAILSTOP 1 and 2). .................................................................................................................................. 18

Figure 8: Red Deer-based Pilots-in-Command (Captains), from left to right: Joel Zimmer (HAILSTOP 4,Cessna 340A 123KK), Marcus Stevenson (HAILSTOP 3, King Air C90 N911FG), and Zac Glass(HAILSTOP 3 and 4). .................................................................................................................................. 18

Figure 9: Project Copilots (First Officers), from left to right: Jason Wannamaker (Calgary, HAILSTOP 1and 2), Katie Burgess (Calgary, HAILSTOP 1 and 2), Ryan Young (Calgary, HAILSTOP 1 and 2), andMichael Tonietto (Red Deer, HAILSTOP 3 and 4). ..................................................................................... 19

Figure 10: Critical on-site project support for electronics and radar services was provided by BarryRobinson (left), of Penhold. Aviation maintenance support was provided in Calgary by Gary Hillman(right)...........................................................................................................................................................19

Figure 11: The conceptual model of hailstone formation and hail mitigation processes for Alberta(adapted from WMO, 1995). This schematic shows generalized cloud seeding flight paths at feeder-cloudtops and below cloud-base, typically employed for mature thunderstorms.................................................22

Figure 12: Precipitation efficiency for High Plains convective storms. Known supercell hailstorms arelabeled S. Storms that produced rain only are labeled R. (Figure from Browning 1977, copyright

American Meteorological Society, Boston, MA). ......................................................................................... 23

Figure 13: When seeding nocturnal thunderstorms, lightning is a friend. It illuminates, if only sporadicallyand all too briefly, many cloud details that otherwise would go unseen. The single lightning flash here hasrevealed the rain-free cloud base (near which base seeding aircraft would operate), smaller, developingturrets that might be seedable (if cold enough), larger, maturing cloud cells that are no doubt too cold andice-laden (and close to being detectable by radar), and the mature thunderstorm (behind) that hasproduced the lightning. (WMI photograph/graphic by Bruce Boe.) ............................................................ 26

Figure 14: A 150 gram burn-in-place (BIP) pyrotechnic burns in a ground demonstration at the Olds-Didsbury Airport during the summer of 2009. When burned in flight such flares are carried in a horizontalposition in racks affixed to the trailing edges of the wings. (WMI photograph courtesy of MarcusStevenson.) ................................................................................................................................................. 29

Figure 15: A sixteen-position burn-in-place (BIP) flare rack is shown on HAILSTOP 1. These BIP flaresare typically burned consecutively, one at a time, while in updrafts below developing cloud towers. Eachflare burns for about 4 minutes. (WMI photograph.) ..................................................................................29



7

Figure 16: Wing-tip seeding generators burn a very effective silver-iodide seeding solution. Used almostexclusively while flying in updrafts below cloud base, these generators produce fast-acting ice nuclei thatfunction by the condensation-freezing nucleation mechanism, the same as those produced by thepyrotechnics. However, these generators burn the solution at a slower rate than either of the flare types,and so can be used to deliver nuclei more slowly, but for hours at a time, for a more limited dosage, whenneeded, (WMI photograph.) ....................................................................................................................... 30

Figure 17: Captain Joel Zimmer attaches the third of three ejectable flare racks to the fuselage belly of the King Air C90 seeding aircraft, HAILSTOP 3. Each rack contains 102 20-gram ejectable pyrotechnicsfor use in cloud-top seeding operations. (WMI photograph.) .....................................................................30

Figure 18: Yield of ice crystals (corrected) per gram of pyrotechnic versus cloud supercoolingtemperature (T<0C). Open diamond symbols are for experiments with cloud LWC (liquid water content)of 1.5 g m-3, while the filled symbols are for experiments with LWC equal to 0.5 g m -3. (Figure fromDeMott 1999.).............................................................................................................................................. 31

Figure 19: Times for 63% (diamond symbols) and 90% (square symbols) ice formation versussupercooling (T<0C) for the ICE pyrotechnic aerosols. Open and filled symbols are for cloud LWC (liquidwater content) of 1.5 and 0.5 g m -3, respectively. (DeMott 1999.) .............................................................32

Figure 20: A schematic of the operational elements of the Alberta Hail Suppression Project. ..................34

Figure 21: Ms. Erin Fischer explains the nuances of the SharePoint information management software toproject personnel during Day 2 of the 2009 pre-project ground school, in Calgary. The software allowsdocument sharing and access for data, inventories, administration, photographs, and reporting. (WMIphotograph by Bruce Boe.) ......................................................................................................................... 35

Figure 22: Captain Zac Glass explains the functionality of ejectable pyrotechnics (on HAILSTOP 3) to agroup from AXA Pacific Insurance that visited the Operations Centre at the Olds-Didsbury Airport on 19

August 2009. (WMI Photograph by Marcus Stevenson.) ........................................................................... 36

Figure 23: Schematic figure showing aircraft cloud seeding block altitudes required for Air Traffic Control(ATC). Transponder codes assigned for the duration of the project by NAV CANADA to HAILSTOPaircraft (1-4) were 4401, 4402, 4403, and 4404, respectively. (WMI graphic.) ..........................................38

Figure 24: Calgary-based Piper Cheyenne II aircraft (N234K) designated as HAILSTOP 1, with CaptainBob Gorman during a visit to the operations center at the Olds-Didsbury Airport. .....................................39

Figure 25: Beech King-Air C90 aircraft (N911FG) designated as HAILSTOP 3 parked at the Olds-Didsbury Airport ramp, parked for static display prior to an operations centre and aircraft tour. ................39

Figure 26: HAILSTOP 2, Cessna 340A N457DM, is shown parked on the ramp in Calgary. The solution-burning ice nucleus generator affixed to the near wing-tip is clearly visible. (WMI Photograph by TerryKrauss.).......................................................................................................................................................40

Figure 27: C340A aircraft (N123KK) designated as HAILSTOP 4 is captured here as it overflew the Olds-Didsbury Airport after a tour had been given for visiting insurance company employees...........................40

Figure 28: The WMI project Operations Centre is located at the Olds-Didsbury Airport, about 70 km (44miles) north of the Calgary Airport. Pictured here is a tour group from Cooperators Insurance, after a visitto the site on 25 June 2009. The small structure beneath the tower houses the radar transmitter andreceiver. (WMI photograph by Terry Krauss.) ............................................................................................ 41

Figure 29: Meteorologst Matthew Becker in the communications and control room at the Olds-Didsburyproject operations centre. From left to right, the computer monitors display: (1) CIDD radar and satelliteloops, (2 and 3) TITAN radar imagery and (4) Internet access to real-time meteorological information.Further to the right (not seen) is the AirLink system which acquires, ingests, and processes aircraftposition information for display on TITAN and eventual archival. (WMI photograph by Bruce Boe.).........41



8

Figure 30: The TITAN dual-monitor display showing the various radar pictures and satellite photo asavailable to the operations meteorologist on 29 July 2006. The image on the upper right is sent posted onthe Internet every five minutes. ...................................................................................................................42

Figure 31: An example of the W MI-NCAR CIDD display, which shows radar reflectivity data andtopography. A vertical storm cross-section which shows a “clear-air” outflow boundary (thunderstormdowndraft) are included to the right.............................................................................................................42

Figure 32: Radar calibration of RDAS digital counts to equivalent radar reflectivity power (dBZ) for theWMI radar at Olds-Didsbury during the 2009 field season. The difference between the 2008 calibrationsis less than 1 dB, and not significant........................................................................................................... 45

Figure 33: Aircraft f light tracks for all four seeding aircraft and real-time seeding information availablefrom the AirLink telemetry system are shown for the flights of 4 July 2009. In this AirLink plot, HAILSTOP1 is green, HAILTOP 2 is white, HAILSTOP 3 is cyan (blue), and HAILSTOP 4 is yellow. (WMI graphic.).................................................................................................................................................................... 46

Figure 34: The frequency of occurrence and cumulative distributions of aircraft take-off and landing timesfor all flights as a function of time (Mountain Daylight) during 2009............................................................47

Figure 35: Amount of seeding material dispensed per operational day in 2009. ....................................... 48

Figure 36: The number of days on which seeding was conducted, the mean amount of seeding agent(AgI) expended on those days, and the mean amount of seeding agent expended per storm are shown.Of the more recent project seasons, 2009 was most similar to 2007. ........................................................ 49

Figure 37: The total number of missions flown, the total flight time, total number of storms seeded, andtotal amount of seeding agent expended is shown for each of the first 14 project seasons. The 2009season ranked at or near the bottom in each category, making it, overall, the least active season since theproject began in 1996..................................................................................................................................50

Figure 38: Map of all hailstorm tracks during 2009. (WMI graphic by Jason Goehring.) ..........................53

Figure 39: Daily and accumulated rainfall for Calgary from February 2009 to January 2010. ................... 61

Figure 40: Daily and accumulated rainfall for Red Deer from February 2009 to January 2010. ................62

Figure 41: Precipitation (left) and departures from normal (right) during the month of June 2009 in the

Province of Alberta......................................................................................................................................63Figure 42: Precipitation (left) and departures from normal (right) during the month of July 2009 in theProvince of Alberta......................................................................................................................................63

Figure 43: Precipitation (left) and departures from normal (right) during the month of August 2009 in theProvince of Alberta......................................................................................................................................64

Figure 44: The recorded precipitation for the months of September and October 2009, as provided by Alberta Environment. The last project seeding mission was flown on 22 August 2009, and the projectseason ended on 15 September. ................................................................................................................ 64

Figure 45: Alberta Financial Services Corp. straight hail insurance loss-to-risk ratio and loss-ratiostatistics for the entire Province of Alberta from 1978 to 2009.................................................................... 65

Figure 46: Alberta Financial Services Corp. straight hail insurance loss-to-risk ratio trend analysis from

1978 to 2009 for the entire Province of Alberta, separating the periods into “before W MI seeding” prior to1996 and “after WMI seeding” from 1996 to 2009. ..................................................................................... 66



9

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Canadian census figures (2006, 2001) for the largest towns and cities in the project area......... 15

Table 2: Yield (per gram) of the ICE glaciogenic pyrotechnic (DeMott 1999). ...........................................31

Table 3: Activation Rate of Nuclei Produced by ICE Pyrotechnic .............................................................. 32

Table 4: Radar parameter calibration values for the Alberta WMI EEC W R-100 radar............................. 44

Table 5: Operational Statistics for 1996 to 2009........................................................................................51

Table 6: Cloud seeding flare and solution usage by aircraft, by season. EJ refers to 20 gram ejectable AgI flares. BIP refers to 150 gram burn-in-place AgI flares. The AgI solution burn rate is 2.5 gallons(U.S.) per hour.............................................................................................................................................52

Table 7: Description of Convective Day Category (CDC) Index.................................................................54

Table 8: Summary of daily atmospheric parameters used as inputs for the daily forecast of the CDCduring 2009. ................................................................................................................................................ 56

Table 9: Summary of daily forecast atmospheric parameters on 23 hail days during 2009.......................57

Table 10: The observed versus forecast days with and without hail for the summer of 2009. .................. 58

Table 11: Table of Forecast versus Observed CDC daily values for 2009. ............................................... 59

Table 12: Annual Summary of Convective Day Categories (CDC) ............................................................60



10

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

WMI wishes to acknowledge the continuing, kind support of Todd Klapak (President) and CatherineJanssen (Chief Financial Officer) and the entire Board of Directors of the Alberta Severe Weather Management Society (ASWMS). The understanding, support, and cooperation of the ASWMS are greatlyappreciated.

A number of organizations and people deserve recognition and thanks. The cooperation of these peopleand agencies are very important to make the project a success and much more enjoyable.

The cooperation of NAV Canada is greatly appreciated and acknowledged. Several personsdeserve special recognition: Richard Hubbs of the Edmonton Area Control Center; and MarkMcCrea, Scott Young, and Brent Lopushinsky of the Calgary Terminal Air Operations. Theexcellent cooperation by the ATC once again played a very important role in allowing the projectpilots to treat the threatening storms in an efficient and timely manner as required, often directlyover the city of Calgary.

Rob Adamchuk of Transport Canada helped us dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s in completingthe requisite paperwork.

Rob Cruickshank, Agriculture Financial Services Corp. (AFSC) in Lacombe is thanked for providing the crop insurance information.

For the fourteenth year, special thanks go to Bob Jackson for sharing his office and hangar at theOlds-Didsbury airport, used for the radar and communications operations centre.

WMI wishes to acknowledge the contributions of the staff who served on the project during the summer of 2009: meteorologists (Jason Goehring, Dr. Viktor Makitov, and Matthew Becker), electronics-radar technician Barry Robinson, pilots-in-command (Robert Gorman, Zac Glass, Jeff Allen, Joel Zimmer, BenHeibert, and Marcus Stevenson); the co-pilots (Ryan Young, Michael Tonietto, Katie Burgess, and JasonWannamaker) and the aircraft maintenance coordinator (Gary Hillman). The staff performed very well as ateam. The support of the WMI corporate head office in Fargo, North Dakota, is acknowledged,

specifically: Patrick Sweeney, James Sweeney, Randy Jenson, Hans Ahlness, Jody Fischer, Bruce Boe,Dennis Afseth, Cindy Dobbs, Mark Grove, Erin Fischer, and Mike Clancy are gratefully acknowledged.



11

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

Hailstorms pose a serious threat to property and crops in the province of Alberta. Historically, claims for agricultural hail damage are received on an average of 50 days each year between 1 June and 10September (Summers and W ojtiw, 1971). The most recent climatology of hail in Canada was publishedby Etkin and Brun (1999) in the International Journal of Climatology. The average number of hail days per year, based on the 1955–1995 climate normals (Environment Canada and U.S. National weather Service)is shown in Figure 1. The highest frequency of hail in Canada occurs in Alberta between the NorthSaskatchewan River and the Bow River, immediately downwind of the Rocky Mountain foothills. Thisactive region is often referred to as Hail Alley .

Figure 1: The average numb er of hai l days per year, based on the 1955 1995 cl imate data from

Environment Canada and the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA). Graphic cou rtesy of the National Geograph ic Society (1999).

Etkin and Brun (1999) point out that the period 1977–1993 was associated with substantial increases inCanadian hail-observing stations. The importance of topographical features such as the Rocky Mountainsis very clear; their influence in the U.S. is also obvious. The City of Calgary is in a region that normallyreceives between 3 and 4 hailstorms each year.

By overlaying the hail frequency map with the population density map, the region of greatest financial riskto insurance companies covers the area from Calgary to Red Deer and Rocky Mountain House. For thisreason, this is the region that was selected as the target area for the hail suppression program.



12

Insurance claims due to hailstorms in urban areas worldwide have generally escalated over the past 10years. Denver Colorado was pounded by golf-ball to tennis-ball sized hail on July 11, 1990, and damagesreached a record (for the U.S.A. at that time) $625 million. In Canada, the damages associated with thesevere hailstorm that struck Calgary on September 7, 1991, exceeded $416 million (Insurance Bureau of Canada 2004). Insured claims from the hailstorm that struck Sydney Australia on April 14, 1999, wereapproximately $1.5 billion, making it the most damaging event in Australian insurance history. A study by

Herzog (2002) compiled and summarized the hailstorm damages in the USA for the period 1994-2000 for the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). Verified hail losses amounted to $2.5 Billion per year,with the actual amount possibly being 50% higher. Personal building losses totalled $11.5 Billion (66%),commercial building losses totalled $2.7B (15%), and vehicles accounted for $3.3B (19%). More recently,the most damaging hailstorm ever recorded in the USA moved from eastern Kansas to southern Illinois on10 April 2001, depositing 2.5 to 7.5 cm diameter hailstones along a 585 km path, over portions of the St.Louis and Kansas City urban areas collectively created $1.9 billion in damage claims from a 2-day period,becoming the ninth most costly weather catastrophe in the United States since property insurance recordsbegan in 1949 (Changnon and Burroughs 2003).

Estimates of the average annual crop loss to hail have also continued to increase with time, from $50million annually in 1975 (Renick 1975) to more than $150 million annually during the period 1980-1985(Alberta Research Council 1986). Actual insured crop losses are typically in the $80M range annually.

The new Alberta Hail Suppression Project was initiated in 1996 as a result of the increased frequency of damaging hailstorms in Alberta, compounded by an increasing population inside an area of high stormfrequency. It is the first project of its kind in the World to be entirely funded by private insurancecompanies with the sole objective of reducing the damage to property by hail. At this time, Alberta CropInsurance and the Provincial and Federal Governments do not contribute financially to the project,although both stand to benefit from the seeding.

Weather Modification, Inc. (WMI) has been a leader in the field of hail suppression since the early 1960s.With extensive knowledge and experience in the cloud seeding industry, WMI is best known for itssuccessful hail suppression operations in the northern Great Plains and other cloud modification servicesaround the world e.g. Argentina, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Mali and Saudi Arabia. WMI was awarded thefirst contract to conduct the Alberta Hail Suppression Project in April 1996 by the Alberta Severe Weather Management Society. The project was designated an ongoing program of the Alberta insurance industry

in 2001 because of the drop in hail damage costs in Alberta, counter to the trend in the rest of the countryand the World. The contract calls for the provision of all personnel and equipment for a turnkey system of cloud seeding and related services for the purpose of reducing hail damage to property in south-central(Calgary to Red Deer) Alberta. The organization chart of the project is shown in Fig. 20.

1.1 The 2009 Field Program

In 2009 WMI conducted the operational cloud-seeding program from June 1st through September 15th.The project is based upon the conceptual model, methodology, and research results of the long-term hailresearch project conducted by the Alberta Research Council from the late 1960s through 1985 (AlbertaResearch Council 1986) and by WMI in North Dakota (Smith et al. 1997). The present program utilizesthe latest cloud seeding technology available, incorporating several notable improvements over previousprojects in the province. These improvements include:

New fast-acting, high-yield mixtures for the silver-iodide flares and seeding solution. The flares aremanufactured by Ice Crystal Engineering (ICE) of North Dakota. The new generation ICEpyrotechnics produce >1011 ice nuclei per gram of AgI at -4°C, and produce between 10 13 and 1014 icenuclei per gram of pyrotechnic between -6°C and -10°C. Colorado State University isothermal cloudchamber tests indicate that at a temperature of -6.3°C, 63% of the nuclei are active in <1 min, and90% active in 1.12 minutes. This high yield, fast-acting agent is important for hail suppression sincethe time-window of opportunity for successful intervention of the hail growth process may be less than10 minutes.



13

Use of the latest GPS tracking and advanced TITAN (Thunderstorm Identification, Tracking, Analysisand Nowcasting) computer software to accurately display the aircraft locations on the radar displays toimprove the controlling of aircraft and facilitate the direction of seeding operations to the most criticalregions of the storms.

Injection of the seeding material directly into the developing cloud turrets as the most frequent seedingmethod.

Use of experienced meteorological and aviation staff to direct the seeding aircraft as well as toaccurately identify the proper regions of storms for seeding;

The target or "protected" area is shown in Fig. 2 and focuses on the area from Lacombe in the north, toHigh River in the south, with priority given to the cities of Calgary and Red Deer. In 2007, the target areawas increased slightly towards the east to include the town of Strathmore and some of the smaller townseast of the QEII highway. Four aircraft specially equipped to dispense silver iodide were used. Twoaircraft (one Piper Cheyenne II and one C340) were based in Calgary and two aircraft (one BeechcraftKing Air C90 and one C340) were based in Red Deer. The radar is located at the Olds-Didsbury airport.The radar coordinates are 51.71 N Latitude, 114.11 W Longitude, with a station elevation of 1024 m abovesea level. The WMO station identifier is no. 71359 and the ICAO identifier is CEA3. The project areadimension is approximately 240 km (N-S) by 120 km (E-W) or 28,800 sq km.



14

Figure 2: Map of southern Alb erta sho wing th e project target area (Figure courtesy J. Renick).

1.2 Project Objectives

The project has two main objectives:

Conduct cloud seeding using 4 aircraft with experienced crews to suppress hail for the purpose of reducing damage to property;

Operate a C-band weather radar to collect weather information by skilled, professional meteorologiststo identify and accurately track storms and potential storms, direct aircraft for hail suppressionpurposes, and collect data for archival that may be used for the scientific assessment of the program'seffectiveness.



15

Priori t ies Table 1 lists the 2006 census figures for the cities and towns within the project area. Priority is givenaccording to population, which is related to the risk of property damage. This list was posted in the radar control room as a constant reminder to the meteorologists of the priority when allocating resources tostorms on any given day. The biggest increases in population have occurred in Cherstermere, Airdrie,Okotoks, Strathmore, Blackfalds, and Sylvan Lake. Project meteorologists made special note of the fact

that the combined population of Turner Valley and Black Diamond is almost as large as Blackfalds or Didsbury. Storms that do not threaten a town or city are not likely to be seeded. Also, most storms arenot seeded after they cross the QEII highway, except for storms east of Airdrie and Calgary that mightthreaten Strathmore.

Table 1: Canadian census f igures (2006, 2001) for the largest tow ns and ci t ies in the pr oject area.

Prio ri ty Geo gr ap hic Nam e Po pu lat io n, 2006 Po pu lat io n, 2001 % Ch an ge

Canada 31,612,897 30,007,094 5%

Alberta 3,290,350 2,974,807 11%

Calgary Metro Area 1,079,310 951,494 13%

1 Calgary 988,193 879,003 12%

2 Red Deer 82,772 67,829 22%

3 Airdrie 28,927 20,407 42%

4 Okotoks 17,145 11,689 47%

5 Cochrane 13,760 12,041 14%

6 Lacombe 10,742 9,384 14%

7 High River 10,716 9,383 14%

8 Strathmore 10,225 7,621 34%

9 Sylvan Lake 10,208 7,503 36%

10 Chestermere 9,564 6,462 148%

11 Innisfail 7,316 6,943 5%

12 Olds 7,248 6,607 10%

13 Rocky Mountain House 6,874 6,208 11%

14 Ponoka 6,576 6,355 3%

15 Blackfalds 4,571 3,116 47%

16 Didsbury 4,275 3,932 9%

17 Turner Valley & Black Diamond 3,808 3,474 10%

18 Three Hills 3,089 2,902 6%

19 Carstairs 2,656 2,254 18%

20 Crossfield 2,648 2,399 10%

21 Sundre 2,518 2,277 11%

22 Rimbey 2,252 2,154 5%

23 Penhold 1,961 1,729 13%

24 Vulcan 1,940 1,762 10%

25 Irricana 1,243 1,043 19%

26 Bowden 1,205 1,174 3%

27 Bentley 1,083 1,040 4%

28 Trochu 1,005 1,033 -3%

29 Eckville 951 1,019 -7%

30 Beiseker 804 838 -4%

31 Delburne 765 719 6%

32 Linden 660 636 4%

33 Acme 656 648 1%

34 Caroline 515 556 -7%

35 Cremona 463 415 12%



16

2. PROJECT PERSONNEL

The project personnel for the 2009 project collectively were a cohesive, experienced group. Overallproject coordination was provided before and during the project period from the WMI corporate offices,located in Fargo, North Dakota, USA.

Senior Vice President, Mr. James “Jim” Sweeney (Fig. 3), served as the primary liaison to the AlbertaSevere Wether Management Society, and handled all corporate-level matters. Jim attended the pre-project ground school in Calgary, and also the post-project wrap up at project end in late September, andalso a follow-up meeting in mid-October.

Logistics for the 2009 projectwere handled by Ms. ErinFischer (Fig. 3), who alsoorganized the pre-projectground school in Calgary,monitored all project recordsthroughout, and assisted withthe compilation of this final

report. All WMI records werekept current electronicallyusing Microsoft SharePointsoftware, which allowed theimmediate upload of flightforms, receipts, seeding agentinventory, flight hour logs, andmore. Erin trained andcoached the field crew in the

use of SharePoint, as well.

All aviation-related matterswere handled by Mr. Hans

Ahlness, Vice President of Operations, and Mr. Jody Fischer, Chief Pilot (Fig. 4). This included staffing, assignment of aircraft,provision of maintenance and handling/coordination of any non-routine maintenance issues, andprocurement of airport office facilities at Calgary and Red Deer. Jody provided considerable assistancebefore and during project start-up, ensuring that all the air crews had everything they needed, and hisskills and experience with convective cloud seeding operations helped ensure that flight operations wereboth safe and effective.

F i g u r e 3 P r o j ec t s u p p o r t w a s p r o v i d e d b y W MI S e n io r V i c e

President Jim Sweeney ( left) and Erin Fisch er (r ight).

Figure 4: Support for aviation

s e r v i c es w a s p r o v i d e d a n d coordinated by Mr. Hans

Ahlness, Vice President-

Operations and project co-

manager ( left) and Mr. Jody

Fischer, Chief Pi lot (r ight).



17

All of the meteorological aspects of the project were managed by Mr. Bruce Boe, Director of Meteorology.In addition, three full-time meteor-ologists were assigned to the project and based in Alberta throughoutthe project duration. The three full-time meteorologists were Mr. Jason Goehring, lead meteorologist; Dr.Viktor Makitov, and Mr. matt Becker. All four (Fig. 5) have considerable experience in cloud seeding for hail suppression. Bruce’s experiences in hail suppression operations began in 1982, and Viktor’s aboutthe same time. Jason worked his fifth season on the Alberta Project in 2009. Though new to Alberta this

season, Matt had worked four seasons on a hail suppression program in North Dakota prior to his tripnorth.Figure 5: The 2009 project

me te o r o l o g i s ts , i n th e

operations centre at the

O l d s -D i d s b u r y A i r p o r t .

B a c k : B r u c e B o e , P r o j ec t

Co-manager (left), and

Jason Goehring, Lead

Meteorologist. Front: Matt

Becker ( left) and Dr. Viktor

Mak i to v . ( W MI p h o to g r a p h

by Terry Krauss.)

Throughout the 2009 seasonthe project was co-managedfor WMI by Hans Ahlness(aviation) and Bruce Boe(meteorology). For the firstthirteen seasons (1996-2008), the Alberta Projectwas very capably managedby WMI Senior Scientist, Dr.Terry Krauss, a Red Deer

native. In 2009, Terry’s obligations to other WMI projects became such that he requested to be releasedfrom his duties as project manager, a request that was honored, reluctantly. Terry continued to have apresence on the project, especially in June 2009, frequently visiting the operations center, and

participating in tours conducted for employees of some of the sponsoring insurers.

Figure 6: Dr. Terry Krauss

and 2009 Lead Meteorolog ist

J a s o n G o e h r i n g c o n te mp l a te

meteorological data in the

operations center in early

Jun e, 2009. (WMI photo graph

b y B r u c e B o e .)



18

Experienced flight crews returned to the project in 2009. Many had flown seasons on the Alberta Projectin previous seasons. All captains were seasoned veterans, well-versed in the nuances of convectivecloud seeding. The 2009 flight crews were led by Captain Bob Gorman, project lead pilot. CaptainGorman was assigned to HAILSTOP 1, based in Calgary. The second Calgary-based aircraft wasHAILSTOP 2, which was capably flown by Captain Jeff Allen. Gorman and Allen were assisted by CaptainBen Heibert, who also stood ready to flight either aircraft (as Captain) if needed (Fig.7).

Figure 7: Calgary-based Pi lots-in-Comm and (Captains), from left to r ight: Bob Gorm an (lead

project pilot, HAILSTOP 1, Cheyenne II N234K), Jeff Allen (HAILSTOP 2, Cessna 340A N457DM),

and B en Hiebert (HAILSTOP 1 and 2).

Figure 8: Red Deer-based Pi lots-in-Com mand (Captains), from left to r ight: Joel Zimm er

(HAILSTOP 4, Cessna 340A 123KK), Marcus Stevenson (HAILSTOP 3, Kin g Air C90 N911FG), and

Zac Glass (HAILSTOP 3 and 4).

Two additional aircraft were based in Red Deer. HAILSTOP 3 was flown by Captain Marcus Stevenson,and HAILSTOP 4 by Captain Joel Zimmer. Stevenson and Zimmer were assisted by Captain Zac Glass,

who also was prepared to fly either HAILSTOP 3 or 4 (as Captain) if/when needed. All three are picturedin Fig. 8.

All HAILSTOP aircraft always flew with a crew of two, a captain and a first officer (or pilot and copilot).Four persons routinely served as first officers (Fig. 9). Jason W annamaker, Katie Burgess, and RyanYoung all served in that capacity in Calgary, and Michael Tonietto did the same in Red Deer. From RedDeer, Captain Zac Glass would fill in the empty seat in either HAILSTOP 3 or 4, whichever wasunoccupied by Tonietto.



19

Figure 9: Project Copi lots (First Off icers), from left to r ight: Jason Wannam aker (Calgary,

HAILSTOP 1 and 2), Katie Bur gess (Calgary, HAILSTOP 1 and 2), Ryan Youn g (Calgary, HAILSTOP

1 and 2), and Michael Tonietto (Red Deer, HAILSTOP 3 and 4).

Aircraft maintenance issues were handled by Mr. Gary Hillman (Fig. 10). Hillman, who is based inCalgary, has the connections necessary to ensure prompt address of maintenance issues in eithe Calgaryor Red Deer.

Maintenance of the project radar, sited at the Olds-Didsbury Airport, and other electronic equipment usedby the project (excepting avionics) was expeditiously handled by Mr. Barry Robinson, of Penhold (Fig. 10).Robinson has been handling this for many seasons.

Figur e 1 0: C r i t ic al on-s i te pr ojec t s uppo r t for e lec tr onic s and r adar s er v ic es w as pr ov ided by B ar r y

R obins o n ( left) , of P enhold. A v iat ion m aintenanc e s uppor t w as pr o v ided in C algar y by Gar y H i l lm an ( r ight).



20

3. HAIL AND HAIL SUPPRESSION CONCEPTS

The hail suppression conceptual model is based on the results of the former research program of the Alberta Research Council and the experiences of WMI in the USA, Canada, Argentina, and Greece. Itinvolves the use of silver iodide reagents to seed the developing feeder clouds near the -10°C level in theupshear, new growth “propagation” region of hailstorms. The silver-iodide reagents initiate the rapiddevelopment of small ice particles through the condensation-freezing nucleation process, and thusproduce enhanced concentrations of ice crystals that compete for the available, supercooled liquid water in storms. This helps prevent the growth of large, damaging hail. The seeding also stimulates theprecipitation process by speeding the growth of ice-phase hydrometeors, initially into snow pellets (alsocalled graupel) which fall from the cloud earlier, melt, and reach the ground as rain, instead of continuingto grow into large ice particles that reach the ground as damaging hail.

3.1 The Formation of Hail

Understanding of the development of hail includes knowledge gained from work by Chisholm (1970),Chisholm and Renick (1972), Marwitz (1972a, b, and c), Barge and Bergwall (1976), Krauss and Marwitz(1984), and English (1986). Direct observational evidence from the instrumented aircraft penetrations of Colorado and Alberta storms in the 1970s and early 1980s indicates that hail embryos grow within theevolving main updraft of single cell storms and within the updrafts of developing feeder clouds (thecumulus towers) that flank mature multi-cell and supercell storms (see e.g. Foote 1984, Krauss andMarwitz 1984). The computation of hail growth trajectories within the context of measured storm windfields provided a powerful new tool for integrating certain parts of hail growth theories, and illustrated astriking complexity in the hail growth process.

Some of this complexity is reviewed in the paper of Foote (1985) that classifies a broad spectrum of stormtypes according to both dynamic and microphysical processes thought to be critical to hail production.Small precipitation embryos that eventually grow into hailstones are called hail embryos. Hail embryosources identified by Foote (1985) include the following:

Embryos from first-ice in a time-developing updraft Embryos from first-ice in the core of a long-lived updraft Embryos from flanking cumulus congestus Embryos from a merging mature cell Embryos from a mature cell positioned upwind Embryos from the edges of the main updraft Embryos created by melting and shedding Embryos from entrainment of stratiform cloud Embryos from embedded small-scale updrafts and downdrafts Recirculation of embryos that have made a first pass through the updraft core

Hail embryos grow into hailstones by collecting unfrozen, supercooled liquid water through collisions. Thiswater freezes to the already-frozen embryo, increasing the size, weight, and fall speed, and also thepotential for damage at the surface. This growth to large hail is theorized to occur primarily along theedges of the main storm updraft where the merging feeder clouds interact with the main storm updraft(WMO 1995). However, the mature hailstorm most certainly consists of complicated airflow patterns and

particle trajectories.

Studies of the internal structure of large hailstones in Alberta and elsewhere have shown that hailstonescan have either a graupel (snow pellet) embryo or a frozen drop embryo. The different hail embryosindicate different growth histories and trajectories and illustrate the complexity within a single hailstorm.



21

3.2 Hail Suppression

The present seeding methodology modifies the graupel embryo hail development process. Frozen drophail embryos are thought to originate from secondary sources (shedding from large existing hailstones, or via a recirculation process at the edge of the main updraft). Cloud seeding can only reduce the hail thatgrows from frozen drop embryos if the available liquid water can be reduced to limit their growth, or if the

dynamics of the storm can be affected to eliminate the recirculation processes that formed the dropembryo in the first place. Both are extremely complex, and are not the focus of the Alberta project.

The governing premise of the Alberta cloud seeding operations is the cloud microphysical concept calledbeneficial competition. The premise of beneficial competition is that the well-documented naturaldeficiency of ice nuclei (ice-forming particles) in the atmosphere can be corrected by the release of additional ice nuclei into developing storm clouds. This is done by the combustion of small amounts of silver iodide (AgI), either as pyrotechics (flares) or a combustible solution. With either method,approximately 1014 (or 100,000,000,000,000) ice nuclei are produced for each gram of silver iodideburned, e.g., see Fig. 18. This potentially increases greatly the number of precipitation embryos in thecloud.

These natural and human-made ice crystals, many of which become precipitation, then compete for the

available supercooled liquid cloud water within the storm. Because the total amount of supercooled liquidremains essentially unchanged, that same mass is devided among the increased number of embryos,meaning the final maximum size of each individual ice particle is significantly decreased. Hence, thehailstones that form within seeded clouds will be smaller and produce less damage if they should survivethe fall to the surface. If they are sufficiently small they will melt completely in the warmer subcloud layer,and reach the ground as rain.

Cloud seeding alters the microphysics of the treated clouds, assuming that the existing precipitationprocess is inefficient due to a lack of natural ice nuclei. This deficiency of natural ice has beendocumented in the new growth zone of Alberta storms (Krauss 1981). Cloud seeding does not alter directly the energy or dynamics of the storm. Any alteration of the storm dynamics that does occur resultsas a consequence of the increased ice crystal concentrations and the development of additionalprecipitation-sized ice particles earlier in the cloud’s lifetime.

Because the mature hailstorm consists of complex airflows and precipitation trajectories cloud seedingdoes not affect all hail embryo sources. It does, however, modify the primary hail formation process. In

o th e r w o r d s ; th e c l o u d s e ed i n g c a n n o t a t temp t to e l i mi n a te al l o f th e h a i l , b u t c a n r e d u c e th e s i z e

a n d a mo u n t o f h a i l .

A schematic diagram of the conceptual storm model showing the hail origins and growth processes withina hailstorm is shown in Fig. 11. The cloud seeding methodology applied to the new growth zone of thestorm is illustrated.



22

F i g u r e 11 : T h e c o n c e p tu a l mo d e l o f h a i l s to n e fo r ma t i o n a n d h a i l mi t i g a t i o n p r o c e s s e s fo r A l b e r ta

(adapted from WMO, 1995). This schematic shows general ized cloud seeding f l ight paths at

fe ed e r -c l o u d to p s a n d b e l o w c l o u d - b a s e , ty p i c a l ly e mp l o y e d fo r m a tu r e th u n d e r s to r ms .

As mentioned previously, cloud seeding cannot prevent or completely eliminate the occurrence of damaging hail. We presently do not have the ability to predict with any certainty exactly the amount andsize of hail that would occur if cloud seeding did not take place. Therefore, we do not have the ability topredict with certainty the net effect of the seeding. We seed the new growth zone of potential hailstormsand observe the amounts and types of precipitation at the surface, as well as the radar reflectivitycharacteristics of the storm before, during, and after seeding. We expect that the successful applicationof the technology will yield a decrease of damaging hail by approximately 50% from what would have

occurred if seeding had not taken place. This expectation is consistent with the results reported in NorthDakota (Smith et al. 1997) and in Greece (Rudolph et al. 1994). The decrease in hail can only bemeasured as an average over time (e.g. 5 years or more) within the operations area, and then comparedwith the historical values for the same area. Because of these uncertainties, the evaluation of any hailmitigation program requires a statistical analysis. The characteristics of both seeded and unseededstorms vary considerably, such that any storm trait can be found in either category.

3.3 Precipitation Efficiency

A common question about cloud seeding concerns the effect on the rainfall. The effects of seeding tosuppress hail on storm rainfall are not dramatic, but slightly positive. The target area, and Alberta as awhole lack the high density time-resolved precipitation measurements necessary to provide a scientifically-meaningful rainfall analysis. However, evaluation of another long-term hail suppression program inneighboring North Dakota that does have such a precipitation network found that rainfall is increased

about 5 to 10 percent compared to that from similar unseeded clouds (ND Atmospheric Resource Board,State Water Commission). Since methodology, seasons, and seeding agents are the same, and since thestorms themselves are very similar, it is reasonable to believe that effects in rainfall in Alberta are similar.

All this is wholly consistent with the concept that the number of precipitation embryos is increased byglaciogenic seeding.

There is a common (yet false) belief by much of the public and even a few scientists that thunderstormsoperate at near 100% efficiency in producing rainfall. This is not logical, for 100% efficiency would requirethat all moisture processed by a storm would fall to the ground; no cloud, even, could remain. This is far from the case. There have been numerous studies of the fluxes of air and water vapor through convectiveclouds; these are summarized in Fig. 12.



23

Precipitation efficiencies can vary widely from as little as 2% for storms studied by Marwitz (1972) andDennis et al. (1970) to near 100% for a select few. Marwitz (1972) and Foote and Fankhauser (1973)show that in the case of High Plains storms there is an inverse relation between the precipitation efficiencyand the environmental wind shear in the cloud-bearing layer. [Wind shear is the change in wind speedand direction at various altitudes.] The least efficient storms tend to be supercell hailstorms; the highlyefficient storms tend not to produce hail at all. The average wind shear on hail days in Alberta is

approximately 2.5 x 10-3

sec-1

. This average shear value corresponds to an average precipitationefficiency of approximately 50% (see again Fig. 12).

For reasons previously stated, it logically follows that the production of large, damaging hail is largely aresult of natural storm inefficiency. The introduction of more precipitation embryos, through seeding,earlier in a clouds lifetime is highly advantageous, making the cloud more efficient as a rain producer, andin the process reducing the amount and size of any hail. Increasing the rainfall from a hailstorm by 20%through seeding is a very achievable goal, and means that less water is lost either via the entrainment of dry environmental air through the sides and top of the cloud, or lost because ice crystals are vented fromthe cloud anvil at the top of the troposphere and which quickly sublimate back to the vapor phase at highaltitudes.

F i g u r e 1 2: P r ec i p i ta ti o n e f f i c i en c y fo r H i g h P l a i n s c o n v e c t i v e s to r ms . K n o w n s u p e r c e l l h a il s to r ms

are labeled S. Storms that produced rain only are labeled R. (Figure from Browning 1977,

c o p y r i g h t A me r i c a n Me teo r o l o g i c a l S o c i e ty , B o s to n , MA ) .



24

4. OPERATIONS PLAN

The following guidelines represent the current state of the science as applied to the conduct of hailsuppression operations, as is applied by Weather Modification, Inc. in Alberta.

4.1 Identification of Hail Producing Storms (Opportunity Recognition)The height of the 45 dBZ contour (a radar echo-strength level) was a criterion tested in the Swiss hailsuppression program. The Swiss research indicated that all hailstorms had 45 dBZ contours thatexceeded the –5°C temperature altitude (Waldvogel et al. 1979). There was a False Alarm Rate (FAR) of 50%, largely because some strong rainstorms also met the criterion. However, it is much preferable tomake an error and assume that a heavy rainstorm is going to produce hail than to mistakenly believe thata hailstorm is only going to produce heavy rain. Studies of Alberta hailstorms also indicated that 50% of all Alberta hail storms had a maximum radar reflectivity greater than 45 dBZ, higher than the -5°C level(Humphries et al. 1987). The Russian criteria for hail identification stated that the height of the 45 dBZcontour had to exceed the height of the 0°C isotherm by more than 2 km (Abshaev 1999). Similarly, thecriteria used by the National Hail Research Experiment in the USA 1972-1974 for a declared hail day wasdefined by radar maximum reflectivity greater than 45 dBZ above the -5°C level (Foote and Knight 1979).

Our experience suggests that the Swiss/Alberta/Russian/USA criterion is reasonable (Makitov 1999). Thephysical reasoning behind it is simply that radar reflectivity (45 dBZ) implies that significant supercooledliquid water exists at temperatures cold enough for large hail growth.

In Alberta, the TITAN cell identification program was set to “track” any cell having >10 km3 of 40 dBZreflectivity, extending above 3 km altitude (MSL). Each cell tracked by TITAN was then considered to be apotential hail cell; therefore, this represents our seeding criterion. A storm is a candidate for seeding if thestorm cell (as defined by TITAN) is moving towards, and is expected to reach, a town or city within thetarget area in less than 30 min.

4.2 Onset of Seeding

In order for cloud seeding to be successful, it is the goal of the program to seed (inject ice nucleatingagents) the developing "new growth" cloud towers of potential hail-producing storms at least 20 minutes

before the damaging hail falls over a town or city within the target zone. For the Alberta project, theprincipal targets are the towns and cities within the project area (see again, Table 1). Since 20 minutes isthe minimum time reasonably expected for the seeding material to nucleate, and have the seeded icecrystals grow to sufficient size to compete for the available supercooled liquid water (and yield positiveresults), a 30 minute lead time is generally thought to be advisable.

4.3 Cloud Seeding Methodology

Radar meteorologists are responsible for initiating cloud seeding and patrol flights, alerting air crews of thepresence of developing weather sufficiently in advance that aircraft will be ready for immediate f light whenthat time comes. The meteorologists advise the HAILSTOP aircraft when to takeoff, and guide them tothe storms of concern. Patrol flights are often launched before clouds within the target area meet theradar reflectivity seeding criteria, especially over or near the cities of Calgary and Red Deer. These patrolflights ensure a quicker response to developing cells. In general, a patrol flight is launched in the event of

visual reports of vigorous towering cumulus clouds, or when radar cell tops exceed 25 kft (7.6 km) heightover the higher terrain in the western part of the operations area, especially on those days when theforecast calls for thunderstorms.



25

Launches of additional aircraft are determined by the number and spacing of storms and the flight timerequired for each seeding aircraft to reach the desired location and altitude. Overlap of coverage(airspace) and on-station time are also considered. In general, only one aircraft can work safely at cloudtop for each active thunderstorm complex due to collision-avoidance and Air Traffic Controlconsiderations. If, when multiple storms develop they are sufficiently spaced, more than one aircraft canwork at cloud top simultaneously, but horizontal separation must be enough to ensure there is no chance

of either aircraft impinging on the other’s assigned airspace. [Cloud top seeding is always done under instrument flight rules (IFR), so separation is required by regulation as well as for safety.]

When the clouds of interest are relatively small (especially common when storms first develop), there isoften room only for one seeding aircraft to operate beneath the rainfree cloudbase as well. However,when storms are larger and visibility is good, multiple aircraft can often be used safely at cloud base onthe same complex. This is possible because flight operations below cloud base are usually conductedunder visual flight rules (VFR) and out of cloud, so separation of aircraft can be ensured visually. Toaccomplish this all cloud base seeding aircraft must be constantly aware of each other’s locations. Inaddition, a landing light may be turned on for added visibility. Responsibility for safe separation of aircraftis not a responsibility of the project meteorologists, though they can usually monitor the relative positionsin real-time through the AirLink tracking system. Rather, the flight crews have this responsibility. Multipleaircraft are most often used on the same storm when the storms assume a linear structure and developnew growth (towering cumulus) along the leading edge of the line. The project utilises four aircraft toprovide uninterrupted seeding coverage (at either cloud-base or cloud-top) and/or to seed up to four storms simultaneously, if required.

Factors that determine which seeding strategy is used (cloud top or cloud base seeding) include: stormstructure, visibility, cloud base height, and/or time necessary for HAILSTOP aircraft to reach seedingaltitude. Cloud base seeding is conducted by flying ust below the cloud base within the developing inflowof growing cumulus congestus (towering cumulus) clouds, or the inflow associated with the new growthzone in advance of the shelf cloud located on the upshear side of linear multi-cell storms (squall lines).Care is taken not to seed the strong updrafts of mature storms, for such such clouds are too advanced intheir development and hail development - if it has occurred - is too far advanced to be averted.

Cloud top seeding is usually conducted at altitudes where cloud temperatures are between the -5C and-15C and closer to the former when possible, typically at altitudes of about 18,000 to 20,000 feet msl.

Cloud top seeding is done primarily with small pyrotechnics, comprised of 20 grams of silver iodide-basedseeding agent, which are ejected into the supercooled updrafts of the developing cloud towers. Each flareburns for ~37 seconds, while falling about 3,000 ft (0.9 km). Nevertheless, a minimum 5,000 ft verticalseparation (~1.5 km) is always maintained between cloud top and cloud base seeding aircraft.

The cloud top seeding aircraft penetrate or skim the tops of developing, supercooled, largely ice-free (andtherefore free of radar echo), cumulus congestus cells as they mature. When multicell storms are presentor when more isolated storms have feeder clouds, the seeding aircraft penetrate or skim the tops of thedeveloping cumulus towers as they grow up through the -10C flight level. The direction of flight isdetermined by the location of any more mature, adjacent cells, which cannot be safely penetrated.

When the growing cells of interest are embedded within surrounding cloud, and also with most convectivecomplexes at night, there are no clearly defined feeder turrets visible to the flight crews. Seeding aircraft

can use their onboard weather radars to help position themselves in these cases; however, aircraft radarsare designed for weather avoidance, not for the detection of non-precipitating clouds, and so “see” onlymature cells - those beyond the growth stage where seeding can be effective. In these instances, seedingaircraft will skim the storm edge at altitudes between -5°C and -10C, near the region of tightest radar reflectivity gradient. Seeding is done primarily by ejecting multiple 20-gram flares into cloud elementswhen updrafts and liquid water are encountered. A burn-in-place flare may be ignited also, especiallywhen turrets are closely spaced and seedable cloud volumes are frequently encountered. Nocturnalseeding may also be performed from below the cloud base altitude when visibility is sufficient.



26

An idea of what night seeding is like is provided by Fig. 13. Lightning can often help provide illumination atthe cloud base and at cloud top, but such illumination is irregular, very brief, and by nature, “flat”, meaningthat human eyes struggle to perceive much depth and distance perception. Nevertheless, lightning doeshelp in conducting nocturnal operations. On occasion, additional illumination may be provided bymoonlight, especially if the upper reaches of the storm anvil do not shadow the developing turrets. In anycase, the seedable clouds are those that have not yet produced precipitation, and therefore those devoid

of radar echoes. For safety reasons flight operations require aircraft to avoid heavily electrified regions,and also close proximity to known hail and hail aloft, as indicated by the project radar. Wind shear andterrain clearance pose additional hazards. Though operations after dark are rare in Alberta because of the long summer days and lingering twilight hours, seeding operations are conducted whenever stormsdevelop, even in the wee hours of the morning. Typically, this happens only once or twice per season.

F i g u r e 1 3: W h e n s e ed i n g n o c tu r n a l th u n d e r s to r ms , l i g h tn i n g i s a f r i en d . I t i ll u mi n a te s , i f o n l y

s p o r a d i c a ll y a n d a l l to o b r i e f l y , ma n y c l o u d d e ta i ls th a t o th e r w i s e w o u l d g o u n s e e n . T h e s i n g l e

l ightning f lash here has revealed the rain-free cloud base (near which base seeding aircraft would

operate), smal ler, developing turrets that might be seedable ( i f cold enough), larger, maturing

cloud cel ls that are no doubt too cold and ice-laden (and close to being detectable by radar), and

th e ma tu r e th u n d e r s to r m ( b e h i n d ) th a t h a s p r o d u c e d th e l i g h tn i n g . ( W MI p h o to g r a p h /g r ap h i c b y

B r u c e B o e .)



27

4.4 Cessation of Seeding

If the radar reflectivity criteria are met seeding of all cells still in a position to threaten damage to towns or cities is to be continued. However, seeding is effective only within cloud updrafts and in the presence of supercooled cloud water, i.e. the developing stage in the evolution of the thunderstorm. The mature anddissipating stages of a storm cannot be effectively seeded because seeding only works by enhancing ice

development in clouds that are primarily ice-free, characteristics which only are manifest in developingcloud turrets. Storm complexes having no new development are destined for decay. While a few stormssimply develop, mature, and decay without initiating secondary development, those that have the potentialto produce hail almost always produce cool outflows that initiate more new growth adjacent to the matureand dissipating portions of the storm. This new growth extends storm life and is seedable, so aircraftmust operate in some proximity to mature, electrified clouds and dangerous wind shears, which includeviolent up- and downdrafts. Safety thus becomes of paramount importance. The history of aviation isfilled with accounts of aircraft destroyed by thunderstorms, and the potential today is just as real as ever.

Safety of project aircraft and crews is ensured by strict adherence to flight policies that are designed tokeep aircraft from ever entering mature portions of the storms, and from flying into extreme winds, hail,and lightning.

Strong radar reflectivities can only persist when new cloud development continues; when it doesn’t, decayis inevitable. Thus, when storms maintain their intensities, developing cloud regions must exist, eventhough it is sometimes if hard to find them. Such mature storm complexes are seedable only when thedeveloping clouds are accessible to the seeding aircraft. If they are embedded within the mature clouds,hidden by decaying clouds, and cannot be approached from below (cloud base), seeding cannot safely occur. Storm cells being tracked by radar are not seeded if there are no indications of developing updraftor supercooled liquid water, or when the storm does not threaten a town or city.

4.5 Seeding Rates

A seeding rate of one 20 g flare every 5 sec while in supercooled updraft is typically used during cloudpenetrations. A higher rate is used (e.g. 1 flare every 2 to 3 sec) if updrafts are very strong (e.g. greater than 2000 ft/min) or if the storm is particularly intense. Cloud seeding passes in the same region areimmediately warranted if there are visual signs of continued new cloud growth or if the radar reflectivity

gradient of the parent cell remains tight (indicative of continued growth and persistent updrafts). If not, a 5to 10 min waiting period may be used between penetrations, to allow the seeding to take effect and for visual signs of glaciation to appear, or for radar reflectivities to decrease and gradients to weaken. Suchwaiting reduces the amount of seeding material used. Calculations show that the seeding rate of one flareevery 5 sec will produce >1300 ice crystals per litre averaged over the plume within 2.5 min. This is morethan sufficient to deplete the liquid water content produced by updrafts up to 10 m s -1 (2000 ft/min),thereby preventing the growth of hailstones within the seeded cloud volumes (Cooper and Marwitz 1980).For effective hail suppression, sufficient dispersion of the particles is required for the AgI plume fromconsecutive flares to overlap by the time the cloud particles reach hail size. The work by Grandia et al.(1979) based on turbulence measurements within Alberta feeder clouds indicated that the time for thediameter of the diffusing line of AgI to reach the integral length scale (200 m) in the inertial subrange sizescales of mixing, is 140 seconds. This is insufficient time for ice particles to grow to hail size, therefore,dropping flares at 5 sec (assuming a true-airspeed of 80 m s -1) intervals should provide sufficient nuclei

and allow adequate dispersion to effectively deplete the supercooled liquid water and reduce the growth of hail particles. The use of the 20 g f lares and a frequent drop rate provides better seeding coverage thanusing larger flares with greater time/distance spacing between flare drops. In fact, the above calculationsare conservative when one considers that the center of the ice crystal plume will have a greater concentration of ice crystals.



28

For cloud base seeding a seeding rate using two solution-burning generators or one burn-in-place flare istypically used, dependent on the updraft speed at the cloud base. For an updraft >500 ft min-1, generatorsand consecutive flares per seeding run are typically used. Cloud seeding runs are repeated until inflow(updraft area) has diminished or until the storm of concern has passed all urban areas. Solution burnersare used to provide continuous silver iodide seeding if extensive regions of light or moderate updraft arefound at cloud base in advance of the shelf cloud region. Base seeding is not conducted if only

downdrafts are encountered at cloud base, since this would waste seeding material.



29

5. SEEDING AGENTS

Silver iodide is dispensed in three ways: (1) a seeding solution can be burned from wing-tip-borne icenucleus generators, (2) pyrotechnics can be burned “in place”, while held to special racks affixed to thetrailing edges of the aircraft wings, and (3) small pyrotechnics can be ignited and ejected into cloud topsfrom racks mounted on the aircraft fuselage.

The cloud seeding pyrotechnics used by WMI are exclusively silver iodide formulation flares manufacturedby Ice Crystal Engineering (ICE) of Kindred, North Dakota. The ejectable flares contain 20 g of seedingmaterial and burn for approximately 37 sec and fall approximately 3000 ft. The burn-in-place (BIP) flarescontain 150 g of seeding material, and burn for approximately 4 min. A photograph of a burning BIP flareduring a ground demonstration is shown in Fig. 14.

Figure 14 (r ight): A 150 gram burn-in-place (BIP)

p y r o te c h n i c b u r n s i n a g r o u n d d e mo n s tr a t i o n a t th e Ol d s -

D i d s b u r y A i r p o r t d u r i n g th e s u mm e r o f 20 09 . W h e n b u r n e d

in f l ight such f lares are carried in a horizontal posit ion in

r a c k s a f f ix e d to th e t r a i li n g e d g e s o f th e w i n g s . ( W MI

p h o to g r a p h c o u r te s y o f Mar c u s S te v e n s o n .)

The WMI solution-burning generatorsperformed very well in 2009 (Fig. 16).Crews kept a close watch on igniter rods,valves, nozzles, and seals to ensure thatthe generators operated reliably. Details of the silver iodide solution are given in an

Appendix. Arrangements were once againmade with Solution Blend Services, aCalgary-based company, to pre-mix allseeding solution from reagent grade raw

materials provided by WMI. All handling,mixing, storage, and labeling requirementsestablished by law and regulation were fullysatisfied.

Figure 15: A sixteen-posit io n burn -in-place (BIP) f lare

rack is shown on HAILSTOP 1. These BIP f lares are

ty p i c a l ly b u r n e d c o n s e c u t i v e ly , o n e a t a t i m e , w h i l e i n

u p d r a f ts b e l o w d e v e lo p i n g c l o u d to w e r s . E ac h f l a r e

b u r n s fo r a b o u t 4 mi n u te s . ( W MI p h o to g r a p h .)



30

Figure 16: Wing-tip seeding generators burn a very effective si lver- iodide seeding so lution . Used

a l mo s t e x c l u s i v e l y w h i l e f l y i n g i n u p d r a f ts b e l o w c l o u d b a s e , th es e g e n e r ato r s p r o d u c e fa s t- ac t i n g

i c e n u c l e i th a t fu n c t i o n b y th e c o n d e n s a t i o n -fr e ez i n g n u c l e a t io n me c h a n i s m, th e s a me a s th o s e

p r o d u c e d b y th e p y r o te c h n i c s . H o w e v e r , th e s e g e n er a to r s b u r n th e s o l u t i o n a t a s l o w e r r a te th an

e i th er o f th e f l ar e ty p e s , an d s o c a n b e u s e d to d e l iv e r n u c l e i mo r e s l o w l y , b u t fo r h o u r s a t a t i me ,

fo r a mo r e l i mi ted d o s a g e w h e n n e e d ed . ( WMI p h o to g r a p h .)

Figure 17: Captain Joel

Zimmer attaches the third

of t hree ejectable f lare

racks to the fuselage bel ly o f th e K i n g A i r C 90

seeding aircraft, HAILSTOP

3. Each rack contains 102

20-gram ejectable

p y r o te c h n i c s fo r u s e i n

c l o u d - to p s e ed i n g

o p e r a t i o n s . ( W MI

p h o to g r a p h .)



31

5.1 Flare Effectiveness

The Cloud Simulation and Aerosol Laboratory (SimLab) at Colorado State University (CSU) has tested theice nucleating ability of aerosols produced from cloud seeding flares and solutions for many years (Garvey1975, DeMott 1999). [Note: The SimLab is now closed and no longer performs such tests; a new testingfacility to conduct these standardized tests is not yet available.]

The current ICE pyrotechnics were tested at CSU in 1999 as reported by DeMott (1999). Aerosols werecollected and tested at nominal temperatures of -4, -6 and -10C. At least two tests were done at eachtemperature, with greater emphasis placed on warmer temperatures. The cloud chamber liquid water content (LWC) was 1.5 g m-3 for most tests, but 0.5 g m-3 for some, enough to confirm the dependence of nucleation rate upon cloud droplet concentration.

The primary product of the laboratory characterization is the "effectiveness plot" for the ice nucleant whichgives the number of ice crystals formed per gram of nucleant as a function of cloud temperature. Yieldresults for the ICE flares at various sets of conditions are shown in Fig. 18 and are tabulated in Table 2.

F ig u r e 1 8: Y ie ld o f i c e c r y st al s (c o r re ct ed ) p e r

g r am o f p y r ot ec h n ic v er s u s c l ou d s u p er c o ol in g

temperature (T<0 C ). O p en d i am o n d s y m b o l s ar e

f o r ex p er im en t s w i th c lo u d L WC (l iq u id w at er c o n t e n t ) o f 1 . 5 g m

-3 , w h i l e t h e f i l l e d s y m b o l s a r e

f o r ex p er im en t s w i th L WC eq u al t o 0.5 g m -3

.

(Figure from DeMott 1999.)

Table 2: Yield (per gram) of t he ICE glaciogenic pyro technic (DeMott 1999).

Temp

( C)

L WC

(g m -3

)

Raw Yield

(g -1

AgI)

Corr. Yield

(g -1

AgI)

Raw Yield

(g -1

p y r o )

Corr. Yield

(g -1

p y r o )

Yield

(per pyro)

-3.8 1.5 3.72x1011 3.87x1011 4.01x1010 4.18x1010 8.36x1011

-4.0 1.5 9.42x1011 9.63x1011 1.02x1011 1.04x1011 2.08x1012

-4.2 1.5 1.66x1012 1.70x1012 1.80x1011 1.84x1011 3.67x1012

-4.3 1.5 2.15x1012 2.21x1012 2.32x1011 2.39x1011 4.77x1012

-6.1 1.5 6.01x1013 6.13x1013 6.49x1012 6.62x1012 1.32x1014

-6.3 1.5 5.44x1013

5.56x1013

5.87x1012

6.00x1012

1.20x1014

-6.4 1.5 6.22x1013 6.34x1013 6.72x1012 6.85x1012 1.37x1014

-10.5 1.5 2.81x1014 2.85x1014 3.03x1013 3.07x1013 6.15x1014

-10.5 1.5 2.34x1014 2.37x1014 2.87x1013 2.91x1013 5.81x1014

-4.2 0.5 1.41x1012 1.45x1012 1.53x1011 1.57x1011 3.14x1012

-6.0 0.5 7.42x1013 7.73x1013 8.01x1012 8.34x1012 1.67x1014

-10.5 0.5 2.38x1014 2.41x1014 2.91x1013 2.96x1013 5.92x1014



32

Tests were also performed using the method of DeMott et al. (1983) to determine the characteristic timesfor effective ice nuclei activation; these are summarized in Fig. 19 and Table 3.

F i g u r e 19 : T i me s fo r 6 3 % (d i a mo n d s y mb o l s ) an d 9 0 % ( s q u a r e s y mb o l s ) i c e fo r ma t io n v e r s u s

supercool ing (T<0 C ) fo r th e IC E p y r o te c h n i c a er o s o l s . O p e n a n d f i l l ed s y m b o l s a r e fo r c l o u d

LWC (l iquid w ater content) of 1.5 and 0.5 g m -3

, respectively. (DeMott 1999.)

Table 3: Activ ation Rate of Nuclei Produced by ICE Pyrotechn ic

Temp

( C)

L WC

(g m -3

)

k

(min -1

)

k di l

(min -1

)

k ac t

(min -1

)

T 1/e

( mi n )

T 90%

( mi n )

Yield

C o r r .

-4.0 1.5 1.093 0.023 0.935 0.94 4.32 1.023-4.2 0.5 0.713 0.019 0.694 1.44 5.71 1.028-6.3 1.5 1.775 0.038 1.737 0.48 1.12 1.020-6.0 0.5 0.724 0.028 0.696 1.43 5.21 1.041

-10.5 1.5 3.200 0.045 3.155 0.32 0.73 1.014-10.5 0.5 2.488 0.040 2.448 0.41 0.94 1.016

The primary results of the CSU SimLab tests of the glaciogenic cloud seeding pyrotechnics manufacturedby ICE are summarized as follows (from DeMott 1999):

1. The aerosol particles produced by the new ICE pyrotechnics were highly efficient icenucleating aerosols. Yield values were approximately 1x1012, 5x1013 and 3x1014 ice crystalsper gram pyrotechnic at -4, -6 and -10C in 1.5 g m-3 clouds in the CSU isothermal cloudchamber. Improvement compared to the previous pyrotechnic formulation used by ICE wasmodest at -6C, but most significant (factor of 3 increase in Yield) at -4C.

2. The ICE pyrotechnics burned with a fine smoke and a highly consistent burn time of ~37 s.

3. Rates of ice crystal formation were very fast, suggestive of a rapid condensation freezingprocess. The balance of observations showed no significant difference in the rate dataobtained at varied cloud densities, supporting a conclusion that particles activate ice formationby condensation freezing.



33

The CSU isothermal cloud chamber tests indicate that, on a per gram basis of pyrotechnic, these valuesare comparable to the best product available worldwide in the pyrotechnic format. High yield and fastacting agents are important for hail suppression since the time-window of opportunity for successfulintervention of the hail growth process is often less than 10 minutes. More information about the ICEglaciogenic pyrotechnics can be found on the internet at www.iceflares.com.



34

6. PROGRAM ELEMENTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE

A schematic diagram of the operational elements for the Alberta Hail Suppression Project is shown in Fig.20. Details of the individual elements are described in more detail below.

Figure 20: A sch ematic of the operational elements of the Alberta Hai l Supp ression Project.

The radiosonde (weather balloon) depicted in Fig. 20 was part of the system on a limited bases during2008, when WMI participated in the UNSTABLE research project in collaboration with EnvironmentCanada and the Universities of Calgary, Alberta, and Manitoba, as reported in the 2008 annual projectreport. From those experiments we learned that the ETA/NAM model from the USA does an excellent jobin predicting the main features of the atmospheric thermodynamic profiles (soundings) at Calgary and RedDeer. Although subtle details of inversion layers and moisture layers may not be resolved, themeteorologists have generally sufficient information about the instability of the atmosphere to constructquality forecasts. One of the greatest gaps in our real-time data concerns the presence, absence, or timing of trigger mechanisms which initiate the development of convective clouds. The increasingavailability of near real-time surface and satellite images, largely via the internet, is improving thissituation. All project meteorological information is received via the internet, so for some seasons now

WMI has not implemented any data acquisition agreement with Environment Canada.

6.1 Ground School

A two-day pre-project ground school was conducted at the Intact Zone Training Centre, at the IntactInsurance offices in downtown Calgary (Friday, 29 May, Day 1), and at the Airport Holiday Inn Express(Saturday, 30 May, Day 2, Fig. 21) for all available project personnel.These sessions allowed the 2009personnel to get better acquainted, and ensured that everybody was beginning the project with a unifiedunderstanding of policies, procedures, and safeguards.



35

Project reporting requirements were presented and reviewed at the ground school. A representative of NAV CANADA (the Calgary office) participated in the ground school. Copies of the Ground Schoolagenda, as well as copies of the Flight Log and Radar Log forms are included in the Appendices. Theground school was structured as outlined below:

Figure 21: Ms. Erin Fischer

e x p l ai n s th e n u a n c e s o f th e SharePoint information

ma n a g e me n t s o f tw a r e to

p r o j e c t p e r s o n n e l d u r i n g D a y

2 of t he 2009 pre-project

g r o u n d s c h o o l , i n C a l g ar y .

T h e s o f tw a r e a l l o w s

d o c u me n t s h a r i n g a n d

access for data, inventories,

a d mi n i s tr a t io n , p h o to g r a p h s ,

a n d r ep o r t i n g . ( WMI

p h o to g r a p h b y B r u c e B o e .)

DAY 1 - FRIDAY, 29 MAY 2009 – All Project Personnel and ASWMS Board Members (invited) Welcome and Staff Introductions Introductory Remarks from the Insurance Industry Perspective Hail Program Overview and Status of Hail Suppression Concepts Overview of 1996-2008 Alberta Operations SevereWeather Forecasting ATC Controlling Procedures (NAV CANADA) AviationWeather & Special Procedures Targeting – Seeding Rates, Storm Tracking and Directing

Aircraft Maintenance Procedures Safety and Emergency Procedures Daily Routines & Procedures Cloud Seeding Chemical Inventory & Procedures

DAY 2 – SATURDAY, 30 MAY 2009 – Project Personnel Only Job Responsibilities and Duties SharePoint data management software Introduction Paperwork and Accounting Procedures Hands-on SharePoint Session with the WMI personnel

6.2 Public Relations

A number of public and client relations activities occurred during the summer of 2009. A film crew fromthe National Geographic Society visited the project from 9-11 July 2009, to obtain a “feel” for what seedingthunderstorms would be like if hurricane mitigation could be attempted through cloud seeding. Of course,

Alberta thunderstorms are not hurricanes, but hurricanes are comprised of bands of thunderstorms, so thelook and feel, especially when seeding at cloud tops, would logically not be that different.

Project lead pilot and HAILSTOP 1 pilot-in-command, Bob Gorman, was interviewed by CTV on 5 August2009, in which the project was portrayed in a positive light.



36

It has now been 14 years since the program started! There continue to be many persons within theinsurance industry in central Alberta who are unfamiliar with the history of the program and details of thecurrent cloud seeding project. On four occasions during the 2009 project, AXA Pacific Insurance sentgroups ranging in numbers from 2 to 11 persons to the Olds-Didsbury operations centre. These groupswere given a tour of the operations centre and radar, and project aircraft (one turboprop and one cloudbase seeder) were flown into the Olds-Didsbury Airport to demonstrate how the seeding is conducted.

Cooperators Insurance also sent a tour group of 14 persons to the operations centre. These informativefield trips were very well received and appreciated. A photo of one such group from AXA PacificInsurance that visited on 19 August 2009 is shown in Fig. 22. Though only AXA-Pacific and Cooperatorssent groups to the operations centre in 2009, all companies contributing to the ASWMS are encouragedand welcome to do so.

Preliminary plans have been made to present information seminars about the project and hail science begiven as part of the Alberta Insurance Council accreditation program. The intent of this training coursewould be to inform the insurance industry about the background, organization, and methodology of thecloud seeding project so that support for the program can continue based on current and accurateinformation. A series of three such seminars have been tentatively scheduled for the last week of April2010, for Calgary, Red Deer, and Medicine Hat.

Figure 22: Captain Zac Glass explains the functio nal i ty of ejectable pyro technics (on HA ILSTOP 3)

to a group from AXA Pacif ic Insurance that visi ted the Operations Centre at the Olds-Didsbury

A i r p o r t o n 1 9 A u g u s t 2 0 09 . ( W MI P h o to g r a p h b y Ma r c u s S te v en s o n .)



37

6.3 Flight Operations

Four specially equipped cloud seeding aircraft were dedicated to the project. The aircraft and crewsprovided 24 h coverage, seven days a week throughout the project period. Two aircraft were stationed inCalgary and two aircraft in Red Deer. This distribution of aircraft at two airports rather than one allowedaircraft from the closer airport to be launched initially, speeding the response and reducing the initial

distance to the clouds of interest. Delays in launching from Calgary were minimized thanks to the co-operation of NAV CANADA air traffic control in Calgary.

When convective clouds were detected by radar, the seeding aircraft were placed on standby status. Aircraft on standby status are able to launch and reach a target cloud within 60 min after the request tolaunch has been made by the controlling meteorologist. When seedable clouds are imminent, the seedingaircraft are placed on alert status. Aircraft on alert status are able to launch and reach a target cloudwithin 25 min after the request to launch. Aircraft were available and prepared to commence seedingmissions at any time, day or night, and the seeding of storms often continued after darkness (with dueregard to safety).

Prior to the start of field operations, arrangements were made with NAV CANADA managers of Air TrafficServices in Calgary and Edmonton to coordinate the cloud seeding aircraft operations. Permission was

again granted to file pre-defined flight plans for the project aircraft, with special designations and fixedtransponder codes. The designated aircraft were as follows: HAILSTOP 1 for the Cheyenne II airplane(N234K) based in Calgary, HAILSTOP 2 for the C340 aircraft (N457DM) based in Calgary, HAILSTOP 3for the King Air C90 aircraft (N911FG) stationed in Red Deer, and HAILSTOP 4 for the C340 aircraft(N123KK) based in Red Deer.

Direct-line telephone numbers were used to notify air traffic controllers of cloud seeding launches. Aircraftwere launched to a specific location identified by VOR and DME coordinates, or town. Distinct air trafficclearance was given to project aircraft within a 10 nautical mile radius of the specified storm location.Cloud top seeding aircraft were given 2,000 ft clearances above their altitude and 7,000 ft below their altitude. Cloud base aircraft were given a 1,000 ft altitude clearance. This procedure worked very well ingeneral. On a few occasions, seeding aircraft were asked to climb to a higher altitude over the city of Calgary or to suspend seeding for a few minutes (<10 minutes) to allow other commercial aircraft to passbelow them.



38

F i g u r e 23 : S c h e ma tic f i g u r e s h o w i n g a i r c r af t c l o u d s e ed i n g b l o c k a l t i tu d es r e q u i r e d fo r A i r T r a f f i c

C o n tr o l ( A T C) . T r an s p o n d e r c o d e s a s s i g n ed fo r th e d u r a t i o n o f th e p r o j e c t b y N A V C A N A D A to

HAILSTOP airc raft (1-4) were 4401, 4402, 4403, and 4404, respectiv ely. (WMI grap hic .)

6.4 Cloud Seeding AircraftThree different models of twin-engine aircraft were utilized on the 2009 project. HAILSTOP 1, the cloud-top seeding aircraft based in Calgary, was a Piper Cheyenne II, a turboprop (also commonly called a prop-

jet). HAILSTOP 3, the cloud-top seeding aircraft based in Red Deer, was a Beech King Air C-90, also aturboprop. Both cloud-base seeding aircraft (HAILSTOP 2 and 4) were Cessna model 340A. All four aircraft were each equipped with fuselage-mounted flare racks carrying 306 ejectable flares, eachcontaining 20 grams of AgI, and also at least wing racks for 24 additional burn-in-place flares containing150 grams of AgI.

Piper Cheyenne II The Cheyenne II is a high performance twin-engine turboprop aircraft that has proven itself during seedingoperations. The Cheyenne II stationed in Calgary, HAILSTOP 1 (N234K), is shown in Fig. 24. In Alberta,two pilots are used at all times for improved communications and safety. Standard equipment includes full

dual VFR/IFR instrumentation, pressurized cabin, and emergency oxygen. The Cheyenne II has full de-ice equipment and is particularly well-suited for flying in icing conditions for extended periods of time.These conditions are common at seeding altitudes within the thunderstorms of Alberta.

The endurance of the aircraft makes longer mission times possible, providing coverage of the entireproject area if required, resulting in significant savings in aircraft, fuel and personnel costs. The addedperformance of the Cheyenne II provides sufficient power to climb safely above the dangerous icing zone(-10C to -15C) if required, or to descend to lower and warmer altitudes to deice and quickly climb backup to feeder cloud-top seeding altitude. It can also provide accurate measurements of cloud conditionsand cloud temperature when so instrumented. A third seat was provided for training or observingpurposes.



39

The major advantages of the Cheyenne II are as follows: The four hour+ mission duration allows longer seeding missions and better seeding coverage; lower Jet fuel price per liter (compared to avgas); reserve power for severe icing conditions; higher speed for rapid response or ferry between target areas; and greater margin of safety due to speed and power.

Figure 24: Calgary-

based Piper

Cheyenne II aircraft

(N234K) d esignated

as HAILSTOP 1, with

Captain Bob

G o r ma n d u r i n g a

v i s i t to th e

operations center at

th e O l d s - Di d s b u r y

A i r p o r t .

The specifications of the Cheyenne II aregiven in an Appendix.The wing-mounted

burn-in-place flare racks on HAILSTOP 1 each held 16 flares, for a total of 32 150-gram pyrotechnics.The Cheyenne II was also equipped with GPS navigation system, onboard, contouring weather avoidanceradar, and a VHF radio system for direct contact with operational personnel at the communications andcontrol center.

Beech King-Air C90 A photo of the Beechcraft King Air C90 designated HAILSTOP 3 (N911FG) is shown in Fig. 25. Thespecifications of the King Air C90 are given in the Appendix. The King Air was equipped with the same

complement of seeding equipment as the Cheyenne II. The Cheyenne II and King Air C90 are both high-performance twin-engine turboprop aircraft that have been proven repeatedly in seeding operations.

F i g u r e 2 5: B e e c h

King -Air C90 aircraft

(N911FG) designated

as HAILSTOP 3

parked at the Olds-

D i d s b u r y A i r p o r t

r a mp , p a r k ed fo r

static display prior to

an operations centre

and aircraft tour.

The two turboprop seeding aircraft (HAILSTOP 1 and HAILSTOP 3) are used primarily for seeding a cloudtop by direct penetration of the growing cloud turrets. This direct targeting makes very effective use of these aircraft, which are most efficient at higher altitudes.



40

C340A Aircraft

Cloud seeding was also conducted using twoCessna 340A aircraft equipped with racks for ejectable and burn-in-place flares, and alsowing-tip ice nculeus generators that burned asilver iodide seeding solution.

The aircraft registered as N457DM wasdesignated as HAILSTOP 2 (shown in Fig. 26)and the aircraft registered as N123KK wasdesignated as HAILSTOP 4 (shown in Fig. 27).The C340A aircraft is a pressurized,twin-engine, six cylinder, turbo–charged andfuel-injected all weather aircraft. The C340aircraft also has a weather avoidance radar andGPS navigation system. Completespecifications for the C340 are given in the

Appendix. The C340 aircraft both carried 30620-gram ejectable flares and 24 (or 28, for

N457DM) 150-g burn-in-place flares, as well astwo wing-tip ice nucleus generators that burnsilver iodide seeding solution. Each generator has a capacity of 7 gallons (U.S.), sufficient for continuous seeding for nearly three hours.

Although the C340 can seed effectively at cloud top, even in known icing conditions, these arecraft are notas fast, powerful, or efficient as the turboprop aircraft, and so are most efficient and cost-effective whenutilised in cloud-base seeding operations.

Figure 27: C340A aircraft (N123KK )

designated as HAILSTOP 4 is captured

here as i t overflew the Olds-Didsbury

A i r p o r t a f te r a to u r h a d b e e n g i v e n fo r

v i s i t i n g i n s u r a n c e c o mp a n y e mp l o y e es .

6.5 Project Operations Centre

All project operations are directed and monitored from the WMI radar installation at the Olds-Didsbury Airport (official designation CEA3). Project offices for radar operation and monitoring, weather forecasting, recordkeeping, and overall administration are located on the airfield just south of the main

ramp and aircraft tie-down area. Immediately adjacent to the operations centre offices is the easilyrecognizable radar tower and radome (Fig. 28).

Figure 26: HAILSTOP 2, Cessna 340A N457DM, is

s h o w n p a r k ed o n th e r a mp i n C al g a r y . T h e

s o l u t i o n - b u r n i n g i c e n u c l e u s g e n e r ato r a f f i x e d to

the near wing-tip is clearly visible. (WMI

P h o to g r a p h b y T er r y K r a u s s .)



41

Figure 28: The WMI project

Operations Centre is located at the

O l d s - Di d s b u r y A i r p o r t , a b o u t 7 0 k m

(44 mi les) north of th e Calgary

A i r p o r t . P i c tu r ed h e r e is a to u r

g r o u p f r o m C o o p e r ato r s In s u r a n c e ,after a visi t to the si te on 25 June

2009. The smal l structure beneath

th e to w e r h o u s e s th e r a d a r

transmitter and receiver. (WMI

p h o to g r a p h b y T e r r y K r a u s s .)

The project control room contains the following: radar displays and processing computers, the AirLinkflight telemetry system, a computer with Internet connectivity for access to external weather data, VHFradios for direct communication with project aircraft, and telephone. The direction of project aircraft wasshared by Jason Goehring, Viktor Makitov, and Matthew Becker (previously shown in Fig. 5).

The primary radar display and control was achieved through the Thunderstorm Identification, Tracking, Analysis, and Nowcasting (TITAN) acquisition and processing software (Figs. 29 and 30). TITAN wasable to display a number of hail parameters that helped the meteorologists identify hailstorms, andimproved the guidance of aircraft to hail growth regions of storms. Plan view TITAN images were sent tothe WMI web server at approximately 5 minute intervals. Operating in tandem with TITAN was theConfigurable Interactive Data Display (CIDD) radar processing system, set to display a continuousanimated 1-hour movie loop of the higher resolution polar coordinate radar data, superimposed on a mapof project area terrain. An example of the WMI-NCAR CIDD system used this year is shown in Figure 31.

Figure 29: Meteorolo gst Matthew

B e c k e r i n th e c o mmu n i c a t i o n s a n d

c o n tr o l r o o m a t th e O ld s - D id s b u r y

p r o j e c t o p e r at i o n s c e n tr e . F r o m

l e f t to r i g h t , th e c o mp u te r mo n i to r s

display: (1) CIDD radar and satel l i te

loop s, (2 and 3) TITAN radar

imagery and (4) Internet access to

real-t ime meteorological

i n fo r ma t i o n . F u r th e r to th e r ig h t

( n o t s e e n ) is th e A i r L i n k s y s te m

w h i c h a c q u i r es , i n g e s ts , a n d p r o c e s s e s a i r c r a f t p o s i t i o n

i n fo r ma t i o n fo r d i s p l a y o n T ITA N

and eventual archival. (WMI

p h o to g r a p h b y B r u c e B o e .)



42

Figure 30: The TITAN dual-mon itor disp lay showin g the various radar pictures and satell i te photo

as avai lable to the operations meteorologist on 29 July 2006. The image on the upper r ight is sent

posted on the Internet every f ive minutes.

Again for the 2009 season, high-speed Internet access was established at their airport offices for the flightcrews based in Calgary and Red Deer. Such access ensures real-time awareness of storm evolution andmotion, which gives the pilots better knowledge of the storm situation they will encounter when they arelaunched.

Figure 31: An examp le of the WMI-NCAR CIDD display, which sh ows r adar reflectivi ty data and

to p o g r a p h y . A v e r t i c al s to r m c r o s s - s ec t i o n w h i c h s h o w s a “ c l ea r -a i r ” o u t f l o w b o u n d a r y

( th u n d e r s to r m d o w n d r a ft) ar e i n c l u d e d to th e r i g h t .



43

6.6 Radar Specifications

The project radar is a C-band (5.4 cm wavelength) weather radar. As mentioned above, it is located at theOlds-Didsbury Airport, at an elevation of 1024 m above sea level. The WMO station identifier is 71359,and the ICAO airport identifier is CEA3. This set was installed in 2003. This radar is very reliable andperformed well. Neither of the two outages during 2009 occurred during inclement weather, and so no

interruptions in service resulted.

The radar is an Enterprise Electronics Corporation WR-100, C-band radar with a 2.44 m (8.0 ft) diameter circular-parabolic antenna. A picture of the radar tower and radome is shown in Fig. 28. The antenna istower-mounted, and enclosed in a radome to provide safe, all-weather operation.

The nominal specifications of the C-band radar are given in the following section. The minimumdetectable signal corresponds to approximately 10 dBZ at 100 km range. An uninterruptable power supply(UPS) is used to ensure there are no losses of service in the event of a surge or outage in commercialelectrical power. A gasoline-powered generator was used to provide emergency back-up power in thecase of a power failure, and was normally started as a precaution whenever heavy weather threatened.Line power was very reliable at the airport during the summer, and there were only a few momentarylapses in line-power during more intense electrical storms. The UPS and emergency generator worked

very well. On 16 September 2009 the radar was once again shut down for the season; however, the tower and radar transmitter and display equipment remain in place.

Data Acquis i t ion The base (lowest) elevation scan is set to 0.8 degrees elevation in order reduce the amount of groundclutter, yet still provide a good view of the low-level precipitation at more distant ranges, especially over Calgary and Red Deer. The radar transmitter is located inside an insulated and air conditioned gardenshed built directly under the radar tower (also shown in Fig. 28).

The Radar Data Acquisition System computer (RDAS) is programmed to drive the radar antenna tocomplete a series of 18 elevation steps while rotating through a full 360o for each. Each complete set of observations, termed a volume scan, takes about 4.8 minutes to complete, and provides a full-sky recordof all precipitating clouds (except those immediately above the radar).

The RDAS computer sends the radar data, still in polar coordinates (azimuth, elevation, and range) to theTITAN computer via a local area network, where the data are transformed to Cartesian coordinates (x,east-west; y, north-south; and z, altitude) by the TITAN computer, which records a permanent archive of all of the scans. The polar data were stored and displayed on the CIDD computer. All of the TITANvolume-scan radar data collected during 2009 have been recorded on CD-ROM. Composite reflectivityimage files in gif-format were created in real-time for each volume scan (one every five minutes), andposted to the internet. These were also archived.

Radar Cal ibrat ions The quantitative use of weather radar requires that various parameters of the system be regularlymeasured, and the set itself, calibrated. The W MI W R100 C-band radar located at the Olds-Didsbury

Airport is used to direct seeding aircraft in the Alberta Hail Suppression Project. To ensure accurate radar reflectivities and correct antenna alignment (range, azimuth and elevation), calibration and alignmentchecks are regularly performed.

Assuming that all the terms relating to the electrical components and propagation of the radar beam areconstants and if we always assume we are looking at water, a simplified radar equation takes the form(Rinehart 1997):

z = C pr r 2



44

Thus, calculating radar reflectivity factor z is simply a matter of getting the power from a target of knownrange (times a constant). The WR-100 parameters and standard calibration values are shown in Table 4.The RDAS radar acquisition software performs digital signal processing to simulate a quadratic responseof the receiver output (Terblanche 1996), and uses a reference range of 100 km.

Table 4: Radar parameter cal ibration values fo r the A lberta WMI EEC WR-100 radar.

PA RA METER VA L UE UNITS

Pulse Width 0.000003 Sec

Pulse Repitition Frequency (PRF) 256 Sec-1

Frequency 5.55 MHz (109 cycles

per sec)

Wavelength = Speed of Light / Frequency 5.41 cm (C-band)

Duty cycle = Pulse W dith * PRF -31.15 dimensionless

Minimum detectable signal -107 dB

Nominal Radar Constant for range (in nmi,

RDAS-TITAN convention) -160.96 dB

The radar was found to be very stable from day-to-day throughout the season. Whenever a radar ismodified or repaired, it is important to check and/or recalibrate the set to ensure no significant changes inperformance have occurred. Prior to the beginning of the project, the radar’s pulse package (a major transmitter component) was replaced because slight degradation in stability had been noted at theconclusion of the 2008 project. A recalibration was immediately performed, and no significant changedwere noted.

In mid-June of 2009, a drive motor in an antenna servo (which turns the antenna) failed. Fortunately, this

occurred in a period of no weather, and repairs were made immediately, without any interuption of service.The radar was again recalibrated immediately after; the results of which are provided in Fig. 32.

The output power of the transmitter was measured regularly. The RDAS calibration curve was checkedfor accuracy at the start, mid-season, and again at the end of the season. The calibrations show achange of less than 1 dB between the early calibration and the calibration at the end of season, for theradar reflectivity range between 20 and 50 dBZ. This very minor change in calibration did not affect theidentification and tracking of hail producing storms. The radar transmitted power did not vary significantlythroughout the period from May 27 to September 16.



45

Figure 32: Radar calibration of RDAS digi tal cou nts to equ ivalent radar reflectivi ty pow er (dB Z) for

the WMI radar at Olds-Didsbu ry dur ing the 2009 f ield season. The di fference between the 2008

c a l ib r a t i o n s i s l e s s th a n 1 d B , a n d n o t s i g n i f i c a n t.

Antenna alignment is also regularly checked, by pointing the antenna at the sun. The position are thencross-referenced to the known position of the sun at that exact time. The pointing accuracy of the system

was also verified numerous times by confirming the position of the project aircraft relative to the positionsof isolated echoing clouds.

Aircraft Tracking The project Operations Centre was equipped to receive and record data from each of the aircraft’sposition telemetry systems. These GPS-based systems display the exact positions of the aircraft,superimposing them on the TITAN radar display to enable the duty meteorologist to accurately direct theseeding aircraft to optimum seeding positions relative to each storm system. The colour-coded aircrafttrack on the TITAN display allowed unambiguous identification of each project aircraft. The real-timeaircraft Global Positioning System (GPS) flight track display of AirLink on 4 July 2009 is shown in Fig. 33.



46

Figure 33: Aircraft f l ight tracks fo r al l four seeding aircraft and real-t ime seeding info rmation

a v ai l ab l e f r o m th e A i r L i n k te l eme tr y s y s te m a r e s h o w n fo r th e f l i g h ts o f 4 J u l y 2 00 9. In th i s A i r L i n k plot, HAILSTOP 1 is g reen, HAILTOP 2 is white, HAILSTOP 3 is cyan (blue), and HAILSTOP 4 is

yel low. (WMI graphic.)

AirLink also displays where the seeding events take place, but the locations of flare ignitions and wing-tipseeding generators are not displayed on the tracks in Fig. 33 to reduce clutter. The selected aircraft at thetime of screen capture was N457DM, HAILSTOP 2 (white track), for which it is shown that the right wing-tip generator (Rt. Burn) had been ON for 10 minutes and 13 seconds (00:10:13), and the left for 8 minutesand 57 seconds (00:08:57).



47

7. SUMMARY OF SEEDING OPERATIONS

A brief summary of each project day that describes the weather and operational activities is given in the Appendix. Flight times and the amounts of seeding are summarized for the season in the Flights and Operations Summary tables in the Appendices.

7.1 Flights

During the 2009 project season there were 81 aircraft flights totaling 109.34 flight hours on 41 days withoperations. A total of 30 storms were seeded during 23 seeding flights (57.10 hours) on 18 days on whichseeding took place. There were 15 patrol flights (20.50 hours), 20 test flights (17.42 hours), and 23“public relations” flights, when aircraft were flown to/from the Operations Centre for tours of the facility byinsurance company staff (14.32 hours).

The amount of silver-iodide nucleating agent dispensed during the 2009 field season totaled 48.443 kg.This was dispensed in the form of 451 ejectable (cloud-top) flares (9.02 kg seeding agent), 237 burn-in-place flares (35.55 kg seeding agent), and 1,355 minutes of AgI-seeding solution burn (3.873 kg seedingagent).

The distribution of take-off and landing times as a function of time of day is shown in Fig. 34. Most of theflights were between noon and 9 pm. The 50% percentile for take-offs is 3 pm and the 50% percentile for landings is approximately 5 pm.

F i g u r e 34 : T h e f r eq u e n c y o f o c c u r r e n c e a n d c u mu l a ti v e d i s tr i b u t i o n s o f a i r c r a f t tak e -o f f a n d

landing t imes for al l f l ights as a function of t ime (Mountain Dayl ight) during 2009.



48

The convective storms in Alberta have a strong diurnal cycle associated with the periodicity of dailymaximum temperature. In Alberta the temperature usually cools off quickly at sunset, enough to eliminatesurface heating as an initiation mechanism (trigger) for deep convection. Occasionally, however, apassing cold-front or upper-level disturbance is strong enough to trigger evening convection; therefore,nocturnal storms cannot be ruled out. This is in stark contrast to the storms and experiences of W MI inNorth Dakota, U.S.A., and Mendoza, Argentina where nearly half the storms occur after sunset.

7.2 Seeding Amounts

The amount of AgI dispensed on each day of operations in 2009 is shown in Fig. 35. There were no dayson which more than 10 kg of seeding material was dispensed, which happened four times during 2008and 2007, eight days in 2006, and six days during 2003 and 2005. This is very indicative of overallcharacter of the season, which began (on 1 June) as an entension of a period of drought that continuedwell into the month of July. The most active season in terms of the amount of seeded was 2004, duringwhich 16 days saw the use of 10 kg or more of seeding agent.

There were fewer days with storms, fewer storms, and less seeding, and when the storms formed theytended to be marginally severe with modest lifetimes. Nevertheless, the amount of seeding agent per storm was significantly below average compared with other seasons.

Figure 35: Am oun t of seeding material disp ensed per operational day in 2009.

7.3 Comparison of 2009 with Previous Seasons

Table 5 gives a list of the operational statistics for the past fourteen years of the Alberta Hail SuppressionProject, many of which are plotted in Figs. 36 and 37. This summer had below average number of aircraftmissions and flight hours due in large part to a protracted drought that persisted well into the month of July, and never really “broke” during the project period, though conditions did become more normal in latesummer. The amount of seeding per day was below average, just 2.4 kg, compared to the average of theprevious 13 seasons of 6.0 kg per day.



49

The amount of seeding agent use per storm was also below average; the 2009 value of 1.6 kg/storm iswell below the 13-season project average of 2.1 kg/storm. Though exceptional, the 2009 value of seedingagent per storm is not unprecedented; lower values were recorded in 1997, 1998, and 1999.

The exceptional nature of the 2009 season is perhaps best illustrated by the number of inactive days, asshown in Tables 10, 11, and 12, within Section 8.

F i g u r e 3 6: T h e n u mb e r o f d a y s o n w h i c h s e ed i n g w a s c o n d u c te d , th e me a n a mo u n t o f s e e d i n g

agent (AgI) expended on those days, and the mean amount of seeding agent expended per storm

a r e s h o w n . O f th e mo r e r e c e n t p r o j e c t s e as o n s , 2 0 09 w a s mo s t s i mi l a r to 2 0 07 .

In 2008, a fourth aircraft, a Cessna 340A (HAILSTOP 4) was added to the project in Red Deer. The forthaircraft was again deployed in 2009, but on only once did all four aircraft fly, that being on the storms of 4-5 July 2009. This is yet another indication of the character of the season. The Cessna 340s (HAILSTOP2 and HAILSTOP 4) are used mainly as cloud base seeding aircraft because they have somewhat lessperformance than the two turbine aircraft and are equipped with the liquid AgI solution burners.

HAILSTOP 1 in Calgary has been a Piper Cheyenne II for all 14 years, and HAILSTOP 2 in Calgary hasbeen a Cessna 340A for all 14 project seasons. HAILSTOP 3 (Red Deer) was a C340 for 4 years (1996-99), a Cheyenne II in 2000, 2003 and 2005, and a Beach King Air C90 in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, and2009. The advantages of the C90 are that it has slightly longer endurance for increased seeding time,and good performance for reaching the far western regions of the target area near Rocky Mountain Housein a reasonable amount of time (e.g. <30 min). All aircraft remained serviceable for the entire operationalperiod, and there were no major maintenance issues that compromised seeding.



50

The best seeding coverage consists of seeding a storm simultaneously using two aircraft; one at cloudbase and another at cloud top (at the -10 oC altitude) along the upwind side of storm. The Cheyenne II andKing Air aircraft have proven themselves as excellent cloud-top seeders. The seeding strategy has beento stagger the launch of the seeding aircraft, and use one aircraft to seed at cloud base and one aircraft atcloud top when storms are immediately upwind or over the highest priority areas. However, if multiplestorms threaten three or more areas at the same time, generally only one aircraft is used on each storm,

or the aircraft are concentrated on the highest population area around Calgary.

F i g u r e 37 : T h e to tal n u m b e r o f mi s s i o n s f l o w n , th e to ta l f li g h t t i me , to tal n u mb e r o f s to r ms

s e ed e d , an d to ta l a mo u n t o f s e e d i n g a g e n t e x p e n d e d i s s h o w n fo r e ac h o f th e f i r s t 1 4 p r o j ec t

seasons. The 2009 season ranked at or near the bottom in each category, making i t , overal l , the

least active season since the project began in 1996.

Of all of the project seasons to date, 2009 was most similar to 2007, in which there were even fewer dayswith operations (19). This is not to imply that there was no severe weather in 2009, such was not the

case.



51

Table 5: Operation al Statistics for 1996 to 2009.

*June 15th

to September 15th

during 1996 and 1997.

Alberta 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997* 1996* Total Average

Sto rm

Da y s with

Seeding

20 26 19 28 27 29 26 27 36 33 39 31 38 29 408 29.1

Airc ra ft

Mis s io n s 37 112 76 92 80 105 92 92 109 130 118 96 92 71 1302 93.0

To ta l

Fl ig h t

Time (h rs )

109.3 194.7 115.3 190.2 157.9 227.5 163.6 157.4 208.3 265.2 251.3 189.9 188.1 159.1 2577.8 184.1

Nu mb e r o f

Sto rms

Seeded

30 56 41 65 70 90 79 54 98 136 162 153 108 75 1217 86.9

To ta l

Seeding

Material

(kg)

48.4 122.9 99.7 214 159.1 270.9 173.4 124.2 195.0 343.8 212.7 111.1 110.8 163.3 2349.3 167.8

AgI/day 2.4 4.7 5.2 7.6 5.9 9.3 6.7 4.6 5.4 10.4 5.5 3.6 2.9 5.6 5.7

Ag I/h o u r 0.84 1.0 0.9 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.1 0.8 0.9 1.3 0.8 0.6 0.6 1.0 0.94

AgI/Storm 1.6 2.2 2.4 3.3 2.3 3.0 2.2 2.3 2.0 2.5 1.3 0.7 1.0 2.2 2.07

Eject

Flares 451 1648 1 622 4 929 3770 6513 4 465 3108 5225 9653 4439 2023 2376 3817 54039 3860

BIP flares 237 548 413 703 515 877 518 377 533 940 690 496 356 542 7745 553

Ac e to n e

(gal) 56.5 113.5 77 145.4 94.2 132.7 92.6 80.3 140.8 141.3 297.5 193.8 144.3 80.5 1790.4 127.8



52

Ta b le 6: Clo u d s e e d in g f la re a n d s o lu t io n u s a g e b y a irc ra ft , b y s e a s o n . EJ re fe rs to 2 0 g ra m e jec ta b le Ag I f la res . BIP re fers to 1 5 0

g ra m b u rn -in -p la c e Ag I f la re s . Th e Ag I s o lu t io n b u rn ra te is 2 .5 g a l lo n s (U.S.) p e r h o u r.

Hailstop 1Calgary Cheyenne II

Hailstop 2Calgary C340

Hailstop 3Red Deer King Air C90,Cheyenne II, or C340

Hailstop 4Red Deer C340 Year

FLIGHT hrs FLA RE S FLIGHT hrs FLARES S OLUTIO N FLIGHT hrs FLARES and S OLUTIO N FLIGHT hrs FLARES and S OLUTIO N

2009 21.5 250 EJ, 27 BIP 31.2 0 EJ, 65 BIP, 5.95 hr 24.0 201 EJ, 48 BIP

C90 King Air 62.6 0 EJ, 97 BIP, 16.6 hr

2008 64.5 953 EJ, 88 BIP 44.3 0 EJ, 171 BIP, 26.8 hr 50.8 695 EJ, 169 BIPC90 King Air

35.1 0 EJ, 120 BIP, 18.6 hrs


C90 King Air


C90 King Air


Cheyenne II


C90 King Air


Cheyenne II


Cheyenne II


Cheyenne II

2000 89.5 4755 EJ, 379 BIP 77.4 164 EJ, 193 BIP, 56.5 hr 97.4 4734 EJ, 368 BIPCheyenne II

1999 91.3 3795 EJ, 313 BIP 81.4 244 EJ, 197 BIP, 59.6 hr 78.6 400 EJ, 180 BIP, 59.4 hr

C340


C340

1997 70.2 1828 EJ, 62 BIP 58.0 264 EJ, 128 BIP, 25.9hr 60.0 284 EJ, 166 BIP, 31.8 hr

C340


C340



53

7.4 Storm Tracks

A map of all hailstorm tracks (determined by radar) during 2009 is shown in Fig. 38. June (green arrows,Fig. 38) was exceedingly slow. Strong high pressure (and drought) dominated the region for most of themonth. The first seeding mission was not flown until 15 June 2009, and that was of short duration, only1.4 hours. Project aircraft did not seed again until 29 June 2009. July was the busiest month, but most

storms originated over the Rocky Mountains and were short-lived, weakening as they moved eastwardinto the plains (red arrows, Fig 38).

Almost all of the long-lived 2009 storms occurred in August (blue arrows, Fig 38). Of these, by far themost damaging was a storm complex that originated very late in the day on 2 August. This complexmoved to the south-southeast at speeds exceeding 80 km/hour, causing significant dmamage from hailand wind in numerous communities. This complex was not identified early on by project staff, and as aresult, was not handled as well as it might have been. This event in particular is examined further inSection 11, Conclusions and Recommendations.

Figure 38: Map of al l hai lstorm tracks durin g 2009. (WMI graphic by Jaso n Goehring.)



54

8. WEATHER FORECASTING

The daily forecast for the hail project was routinely prepared each morning by one of the meteorologists atthe Operations Centre, and presented at the weather briefing telephone conference call at 12 noon. Theforecast time period for verification was considered to be 24 hours, spanning the period from 6 AM to 6

AM. This time period is used because convection (thunderstorms) most often develop during daylight

hours, usually afternoon, and often persist past midnight before weakening in the early morning hours.This makes a forecast “day” that begins and ends at 6 AM more meaningful.

The primary input data used for the forecast included the following: Regional upper atmosphere analyses at 250 mb, 500 mb, 700 mb. Upper air sounding data from Edmonton or Kelowna ETA model forecast soundings for Calgary, Red Deer, Sundre, and Rocky Mtn. House Public and Aviation Forecasts Severe weather prognostic charts Numerical model forecasts (GEM, ETA/NAM) Satellite imagery Radar images from Environment Canada facilities at Strathmore and Carvel.

All of the meteorological data downloaded via the internet during the field season have been stored onCD-ROM and a portable hard-drive for future reference purposes.

8.1 The Convective Day Category (CDC)

The daily weather forecast establishes the Convective Day Category (CDC) that best describes theconditions that are expected for the day. The CDC (Strong 1979) is an index that gives the potential for hailstorm activity and thus seeding operations. A description of the weather conditions for each CDC isgiven in Table 7. The distinction between the -2 and -1 category is sometimes difficult, since overcast or prolonged rains eventually break up into scattered showers. The maximum vertically-integrated liquid(VIL) pixel values recorded by TITAN were used for forecast verification of hail size in the absence of surface hail reports. Radar VIL values were used within the project area or buffer zones on the north,east, and south sides (not including the mountains or foothills of the western buffer zone). This may haveincreased the number of declared hail days from the early years, which relied on a human report of hail fall

at the surface; however, it is believed to be a more realistic measure of hail. There were a few days whenpea size hail was reported and the VIL was < 10 kg/m 2. These cases were classified as +1 CDC days.Surface observations of hail supersede the radar criterion. The +1 category minimum hail size wasassumed to be 5 mm since this is a common minimum size for hail used by numerical modelers, and alsothe recognized threshold for hail. Smaller ice particles, those less than 5 mm diameter are generallycalled snow pellets or graupel.

Table 7: Description o f Convective Day Category (CDC) Index

CDC Strategy Description

-3 No Seed Clear skies, fair weather cumulus, or stratus (with no rain). No

deep convection.

-2 No Seed Towering cumulus, alto-cumulus, alto-stratus, or nimbostratus

producing rain for several hours or weak echoes (e.g. virga).-1 No Seed

Scattered convective rain showers but no threat of hail. Noreports of lightning. Convective echoes < 40 dBZ.

0 Patrol flights and

potential seeding.Thunderstorms (at least one) but no hail. VIL < 10 kg/m2 withinthe project area or buffer zones on north, east, and south sides.

+1 Seed Thunderstorms with pea or shot sized hail (0.5 to 1.2 cm

diameter). 10 kg/m2 < VIL < 20 kg/m2



55

+2 Seed Thunderstorms with grape sized hail (1.3 to 2.0 cm diameter).

20 kg/m2 < VIL < 50 kg/m2

+3 Seed Thunderstorms with walnut sized hail (2.1 to 3.2 cm diameter).

50 kg/m2 < VIL < 100 kg/m2

+4 Seed Thunderstorms with golfball sized hail (3.3 to 5.2 cm diameter).

VIL > 100 kg/m2

+5 Seed Thunderstorms with greater than golfball sized hail (>5.2 cmdiameter).

Various meteorological parameters are also forecast in addition to the CDC. These parameters are usedin developing a seeding strategy and are passed on to pilots during the weather briefing. Themeteorological parameters are recorded each day and archived for future analysis. A summary of thedaily meteorological parameters is given in a later section and the full table of parameters is given in an

Appendix.

8.2 Coordinated Universal Time

The standard reference time chosen for the project field operations is universal time coordinates (UTC),also known as coordinated universal time (CUT), or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). This is the acceptedinternational standard of time for general aviation and meteorological observations, reporting, and

communication. In Alberta, UTC is 6 hours ahead of local Mountain Daylight time. For example, 12:00noon local Alberta time is equal to 18:00 UTC, and 6:00 PM local is equal to 24:00 or 00:00 UTC. Thiscauses some confusion since many of the thunderstorms occurred late in the day and span the 6:00 PMlocal time, which is midnight or 00:00 hours UTC. The standard convention incorporated by the Albertaproject is to report all aircraft, radar, and meteorological times in UTC; however, the summary tables areall organized according to the local calendar “storm” day with respect to Mountain Daylight Time for convenience.

8.3 Daily Briefings

All project staff participated in a telephone conference “briefing session” each day at 12:00 noon sharp.Teamwork depends on good communications, and all personnel were required to attend the daily briefing.This briefing session included a debriefing and summary of the previous day’s operations (if any),discussion of the weather situation, presentation of the weather forecast and operational meteorologicalstatistics, predicted hail threat, cloud base heights and temperatures, upper level winds, storm motion,equipment status reports, and operational plans for the day. After the briefing, crews were put ontelephone stand-by or asked to remain at the airport on stand-by. All personnel were equipped with celltelephones to allow quick access and constant communications, day or night.

8.4 Meteorological Statistics

A complete listing of the daily meteorological statistics is given in an Appendix. A summary of theimportant daily atmospheric parameters used as inputs for the daily forecast of the CDC and threat of hailis given in Table 8.

2009 was a below average summer for large hail both inside and outside the project area. Hail wasreported within the project area on 23 days this past summer. Larger than golf ball size hail fell on from

just one storm, the long-lived, long-tracked complex during the night of 2-3 August that tracked from thenorthwest near Rocky Mountain House across almost the entire target area, exiting the southeast corner southeast of Calgary. Golfball sized hail fell on two other days, also in August, the 11th, and the 21st.Walnut size hail was reported on three additional days: 12 and 19 July, and 9 August 2009.



56

Data from crop insurance claims provided by Alberta Agriculture Financial Services Corportation indicatesthat crop damage in 2009 was approximately the historical average, but less than half that recorded in2008 (see Section 9). Because the Alberta Hail Suppression Program does not attempt to modify stormsin non-urban areas, this does not directly reflect program efficacy, but it does provide some indication of the severity of the hail season. A significant fraction of the 2009 losses resulted from the 2-3 Auguststorm, but date-by-date breakout of the 2009 loss data was not provided.

T ab l e 8: S u mma r y o f d a i ly a tmo s p h e r ic p a r a me ter s u s e d a s i n p u ts fo r th e d a i ly fo r e c a s t o f th e

CDC during 2009.

All Days (107)

Par am eter A v er ag e Std Dev Max im u m Min im u m

FCST CDC -0.64 1.59 3 -3Precip. W ater (in) 0.72 0.20 1.22 0.260°C Level (kft) 11.4 2.08 16.8 5.6-5°C Level (kft) 13.8 2.26 19.4 7.2-10°C Level (kft) 16.4 2.30 21.8 9.7Cloud Base Height (kft) 9.2 2.08 13.1 3.6Cloud Base Temp (°C) 3.3 3.93 11.1 -6.3

Maximum Cloud Top Height (kft) 25.8 7.85 40.0 10.0Temp. Maximum (°C) 21.9 4.8 30.0 8.0Dew Point (°C) 7.5 3.4 14.0 -2.0Conv Temp (°C) 22.0 7.0 45.3 7.0CAPE (J/kg) 309 312 1500 0Total Totals Index 50.9 5.4 59.0 30.6Lifted Index -0.59 2.82 8.9 -4.6Showalter Index 0.07 2.94 10.4 -4.5Cell Direction (deg) 254 81 355 10Cell Speed (knots) 20 9.2 40 1Storm Direction (deg) 244 110 360 5Storm Speed (knots) 13.3 6.8 30 1Low Level Wind Direction (deg) 2245 81 355 5Low Level Wind Speed (knots) 13.8 7.5 35 2Mid Level Wind Direction (deg) 258 78.3 355 5Mid Level Wind Speed (knots) 26.0 12.1 60 5High Level Wind Direction (deg) 240 93.4 360 5High Level Wind Speed (knots) 46.8 25.4 130 5Observed CDC -5.3 1.76 5 -3

A summary of the important daily forecast atmospheric parameters on the 23 days on which hail wasreported in 2009 is given in Table 9. Not surprisingly, these values represent typical conditions for haildays in Alberta. These statistics help put the Alberta project clouds in context with other hail suppressionprojects around the world. Furthermore, these values can be used to initialize numerical models for research purposes.



57

Table 9: Summ ary of dai ly forecast atmos pheric parameters on 23 hai l days during 2009.

Hail Days (23)

Param eter A v erag e Std Dev Max im u m Min im u m

FCST CDC 1.00 0.8 3 -1Precip. W ater (in) 0.82 0.15 1.19 0.59

0°C Level (kft) 11.6 1.44 14.4 9.1-5°C Level (kft) 13.8 1.56 16.7 10.7-10°C Level (kft) 16.3 1.68 19.4 12.9Cloud Base Height (kft) 9.3 1.82 12.5 5.4Cloud Base Temp (°C) 4.7 2.95 11.1 -0.2Maximum Cloud Top Height (kft) 31 5.8 40.0 19.0Temp. Maximum (°C) 23.6 3.8 30.0 18.0Dew Point (°C) 9.2 2.0 13.0 5.0Conv Temp (°C) 22 4.2 30.0 15.0CAPE (J/kg) 659 331 1500 270Total Totals Index 55.2 2.0 58.9 51.2Lifted Index -3.13 0.89 -1.6 -4.6

Showalter Index -2.46 1.04 -0.6 -4.5Cell Direction (deg) 263 31 300 185Cell Speed (knots) 21 8.2 40 5Storm Direction (deg) 292 36 350 185Storm Speed (knots) 14.6 7.5 30 5Low Level Wind Direction (deg) 258 43 325 155Low Level Wind Speed (knots) 14.4 7.7 30 5Mid Level Wind Direction (deg) 262 35 320 155Mid Level Wind Speed (knots) 28.7 12.7 50 10High Level Wind Direction (deg) 264 53 340 110High Level Wind Speed (knots) 52.2 33.3 130 5Observed CDC 1.78 1.24 5 1

The project season was the slowest on record. It began with cool, dry weather, and little precipitation of any kind. The first seeding mission was not flown until 14 June, and the second on 29 June. The spring of 2009 was also dry, which made growing conditions very difficult. Conditions began to moderate in July,normally the worst month for hail and the busiest for the project, but did not really become more normaluntil August.

There was thunder reported within the project area on 63 days in 2009 compared to 75 days last summer.The number of hail days and days with large hail (greater than walnut size) was also well below average.

8.5 Forecasting Performance

The following tables (10-12) indicate the forecasting performance for the summer season with respect tothe forecast and observed weather conditions as defined by the “Convective Day Category” or CDC within

the project area. A CDC greater than zero indicates that hail was observed somewhere within the targetarea or buffer (see again Fig. 2). The forecasts were verified by the weather observations as reported byEnvironment Canada, crop insurance reports received from the Agriculture Financial Services Corp. inLacombe, and also by public reports of hail in the press, radio, and television, as well as by the reportsfrom project personnel. The Vertical Integrated Liquid (VIL) radar parameter was also used as averification tool, but secondary to actual hail reports.



58

Referring to Table 10: Hail fell within the project area on 23 of 107 days (21%), leaving 84 days withouthail (79%). The forecast was correct in forecasting “no-hail” on 73 of 84 observed no-hail days (79%) andcorrectly forecast “hail” days on 19 of 23 days (83%). The forecast failed to correctly forecast hail on 4 of the 23 hail days (17%) and incorrectly forecast hail (false alarms) on 11 of the 84 days when no-hail wasobserved (13%). However, on 11 of the 30 days hail had been forecast, hail did not fall (37%).

Of the 4 “bust” foreacsts (hailed occurred but was not forecast) 2 forecasts were on days with pea sizehail, which is very difficult to forecast; especially when the atmosphere is very cold (as it was in June) andalmost every thunderstorm is capable of producing pea size hail. The other 2 bust forecasts were on aday with walnut-sized hail, and on a day with golf-ball-sized hail. On both of these days, thunderstormswere forecast. Overall the W MI meteorologists did a very good job with forecasting large hail this season.

T ab l e 1 0: T h e o b s e r v ed v e r s u s fo r e c as t d a y s w i th a n d w i th o u t h a i l fo r th e s u m me r o f 2 0 0 9.

Observed Days

No Hail Hail Totals

FCST

Days

No Hail

73[68%]

4[4%]

77[72%]

FCST

Days

Hail

11[10%]

19[18%]

30[28%]

Totals 84[79%]

23[21%]

107[100%]

The exact forecast weather type (CDC) was observed on 63 of 107 days or 59% of the time (Table 11).The forecast was correct to within one CDC category on 91 days or 85% of the time. Unfortunately, therewere 4 days when hail fell and hail was not forecast, although thunderstorms were forecast on the 3 of those days, and both days with the larger hail. Overall the WMI forecasters and Hailcast displayed

considerable skill in forecasting large hail in 2009.

If there was a “surprise storm” during 2009, it was the complex that moved through the target on the nightof 2-3 August. While thunderstorms were forecast that day, large hail was not anticipated. Several cellswere seeded in the afternoon and evening of 2 August, but project personnel did not realize that the fast-moving late night storms were moving toward the target area until they were in the buffer zone. This isdiscussed further in Section 11.



59

Table 11: Table of Forecast versus Observed CDC dai ly values for 2009.

Observed CDC

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5

-3 18 1 1 2 22

-2 3 5 1 2 11

-1 2 7 8 1 18

0 2 1 20 1 1 1 26

Forecast

CDC 1 1 1 7 12 2 1 24

2 2 1 1 1 5

3 1 1

4 0

5 0

22 11 10 41 15 2 3 2 1 107

Percent correct exact CDC category = 63/107 = 59%Percent correct within one CDC category = 91/107 = 85%Number of times no-hail observed when no-hail was forecast = 73/77 (95%)

Number of times hail observed when hail forecast = 19/30 (63%)

Percentage Correct for Hail & No Hail forecasts = 92/107 (86%)

Bust forecast: i.e. hail observed when no hail was forecast = 4/78 (5%)

False alarm: i.e. hail forecast and none observed = 11/30 (37%)

The breakdown of CDC values for each of the past 14 seasons is shown in Table 12. This year hadabove average number of no-hail days, though a record number of thunderstorm days without hail (41). Ingeneral, Alberta had a dry summer, with infrequent thunderstorms, though some tended to be severe andproduced damaging hail, especially late in the season. August was by far the most active month, not July,which is the norm.



60

Table 12: Ann ual Summ ary of Convective Day Categories (CDC)

Observed CDC

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 To tals

1996 27 21 12 11 5 12 3 1 1 93

1997 7 19 6 28 19 11 3 0 0 93

1998 14 24 2 29 23 8 2 4 1 107

1999 21 18 8 24 22 10 2 1 1 107

2000 13 21 8 26 18 9 2 9 1 107

2001 20 4 19 18 19 18 5 4 0 107

2002 27 8 20 16 15 17 3 1 0 107

2003 24 7 20 28 8 12 2 5 1 107

2004 11 4 28 29 15 11 3 5 1 107

2005 13 13 22 28 17 9 1 2 2 107

2006 19 14 15 24 19 5 6 3 2 107

2007 15 17 15 26 17 8 5 2 2 1072008 15 7 10 34 17 15 2 6 1 107

2009 22 11 10 41 15 2 3 2 1 107

Totals 248 188 195 362 229 147 42 45 14 1470

Average 17.7 13.4 13.9 25.9 16.4 10.5 3.0 3.2 1.0

Ma x 27 24 28 41 23 18 6 9 2

Mi n 7 4 2 11 5 5 1 0 0

8.6 The Hailcast Model

The HAILCAST model (Brimelow 1999, Brimelow et al . 2006) continued to be used in 2009 to objectivelyforecast the maximum hail size over the project area. HAILCAST consists of two components, namely a

steady-state one-dimensional cloud model and a 1-dimensional, time dependent hail model with detailedmicrophysics. The reader is referred to Brimelow (1999) for a detailed explanation of the model.

The ETA prognostic numerical model soundings for Red Deer and Calgary were downloaded daily fromthe Storm Machine website. A decision tree scheme was used to determine whether or not the soundingsshould be used to initialize the model. The decision tree is based on the work of Mills and Colquhoun(1998). The decision tree logic was described in detail in the 2003 final report. Basically, the Hailcastmodel was not run if the atmospheric profile showed significant inhibition at 700 mb (approximately 10 kft)or warming more than 1oC aloft during the day, for hail is not thought probable under such conditions.



61

9. CLIMATE PERSPECTIVES

The 2009 season began with a dry spring, and a dry June. The tide began to turn in July, but only for thesouthern portion of the province. The improvement continued through the first few weeks of August,enough so that much of the province south of Red Deer received normal or above normal precipitation.

Areas east of Calgary received significantly above normal rainfall, but because August isn’t normally a

really wet month, it wasn’t enough to erase the deficit established during the spring and early summer.

The daily and accumulated rainfall for Calgary and Red Deer from February 2009 to January 2010 areshown in Figures 39 and 40 respectively. While Calgary received occasional showers/flurries duringMarch, April, and May 2009, Red Deer did not fare as well. However, neither locale normaly receivesmuch precipitation until late May and June, when convective clouds typically bring considerable moistureto the region. What precipitation fell was sufficient to keep Calgary near normal until mid-May, but RedDeer fell below normal early in May, and remained so for the rest of the year.

Thought precipitation increased in July and August, the defecit was not ever made up, and both stationsremained below normal throughout the project period, which ended 15 September 2009. At both stations,almost no precipitation was received after the last storms were seeded on 22 August until December! Thelack of summer rain left Calgary and Red Deer below average precipitation for the year by 55 and 70 mm

(-14% and -17%), respectively.

Figure 39: Dai ly and accu mu lated rainfal l for Calgary from February 2009 to Janu ary 2010.



62

Figure 40: Dai ly and accu mu lated rainfal l for Red Deer from February 2009 to January 2010.

The summer precipitation patterns through the province are well-illustrated by Figs. 41-44. June remaineddry, well below normal in most locations (Fig. 41). Only three seeding opportunities were realized duringthe month, the first on the 14 th, and the last two on the 29th and 30th.

July, normally the businest month of the project, saw only 11 seeding missions—but it wasn’t for lack of effort; flights were conducted on seven other days, but the clouds just weren’t vigorous enough to warrantseeding. The weather pattern was changing, though, and precipitation in the southern portions of theprovince, from about Calgary south, received significantly above normal rainfall for the month (Fig. 42).

The moisture pushed even further north during August, making it almost as busy as July, with 9 seedingmissions and another three patrol flights. Above normal rainfall was received over most of the provincesouth of Red Deer (Fig. 43). Previous research (Krauss and Santos 2004) indicated that the cloudseeding increases the rainfall; therefore, the increased rainfall around Calgary, compared with thesurrounding area, is consistent with our previous findings.



63

Figure 41: Precipi tation ( left) and departures from norm al (r ight) during the mon th of Jun e 2009 in

th e P r o v i n c e o f A l b e r ta.

Figure 42: Precipi tation ( left) and departures from n orm al (r ight) during the mon th of July 2009 in

th e P r o v i n c e o f A l b e r ta.



64

F i g u r e 43 : P r ec i p i ta ti o n ( l ef t ) an d d e p ar tu r e s f r o m n o r ma l ( r ig h t) d u r i n g th e m o n th o f A u g u s t 2 0 0 9

i n th e P r o v i n c e o f A l b e r ta.

Figure 44: The record ed precipi tation for the mon ths of September and Octob er 2009, as provided

b y A l b e r ta E n v i r o n me n t. T h e la s t p r o j e c t s ee d i n g mi s s i o n w a s f l o w n o n 2 2 A u g u s t 2 0 09 , a n d th e

project season ended on 15 September.



65

10. ALBERTA CROP HAIL INSURANCE RESULTS

Figure 49 shows the annual Loss-to-Risk ratios, and Loss-Ratios for the Province of Alberta asdetermined by the straight hail crop insurance statistics collected by the Alberta Financial Services Corp.in Lacombe, Alberta. These statistics are for the entire province of Alberta.

Figure 45: Alberta Financial Services Corp. straight hai l insurance loss-to-r isk ratio and loss -ratio

statist ics f or th e entire Provin ce of A lberta from 1978 to 2009.



66

Figure 46: Alberta Financial Services Corp. straight hai l insurance loss-to-r isk ratio trend analysis

from 1978 to 2009 for the entire Provinc e of Alberta, separating the periods into “b efore WMI

seeding” p rior to 1996 and “after WMI seeding ” from 1996 to 2009.

The average loss-to-risk ratio for the period 1978 to 1995 (before WMI seeding) is 4.4% and the averagefor the period 1996 to 2009 (with WMI seeding) is also about 4.4%. A polynomial trend analysis for thetwo periods is shown in Fig. 46. Eight of the first ten years with WMI seeding (1996-2005 inclusive) hadbelow-average hail damage. The hail damage during 2000 and 2004 appeared to be “spikes”, with above-average hail damage. While the 3 years from 2008 through 2008 saw significant increases in crop haildamage, 2009 saw a decrease and a loss-to-risk ratio of 3.8%. There can be many reasons for thechanges in addition to the seeding program, however. The crop hail insurance data are helpful, in thatthey provide an indication of hail damage on the whole within the province.

It should be noted that in the absence of strong winds property hail damage typically begins with hail or 2or 2.5 cm diameter, while crops may be suceptible to damge from much smaller sizes. When wind isinvolved (as was the case with the 2-3 August 2009 storm), significant property damage and crop damageresults even from relatively small hailstones, sometimes even those less that 1 cm diameter.

Several incontrovertible facts remain: The project area still has the highest average hail damage in the Province and can still lay claim to

the unsought-after moniker “Hail Alley”. There is an increasing trend in hail damage for the last seven years, and season-to-season

variability is greater within the target area. Population, and therefore risk, continues to increase in much of the province, especially from

Calgary north to Red Deer, and also all around the City of Calgary itself. As urban sprawlcontinues to nudge the boundaries of Calgary in all directions, it is increasingly important toprotect this area from the ravages of hail as best as is humanly possible.



67

11. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

A formal statistical evaluation of the hail suppression program is still not possible without acquiringcomprehensive, detailed, high-resolution property insurance claim data. Preliminary assessments fromunofficial reports within the insurance industry indicate that the program has been a financial success butthis remains unverified. While some crop-hail statistics are available, these data cannot really be used as

an indication of program efficacy because only those storms threatening urban areas are ever seeded. Inrecent years there has been a trend of increasing hail in much of Alberta, as indicated by the crop-hail lossstatistics. This trend suggests that any reduction in property insurance payouts is not due to changingclimate, since the increase in storm activity is well documented. The 2009 season was an exceptionexperienced regionally; a similar hail-suppression program in the State of North Dakota flew the leastnumber of missions since that program began in its present form in 1974.

The 2009 field operations overall ran quite smoothly. The flight crews were all very familiar with hailsuppression operations, and many had previous Alberta Project experience. There was a notable changein the WMI project leadership this season, however. Since the program inception in 1996, WMIoperations had been led by Red Deer native Dr. Terry Krauss. In April 2009, Dr. Krauss’ role was shiftedto other responsibilities within Weather Modification’s operations. Project leadership then shifted to W MIDirector of Meteorology, Bruce Boe, and WMI Vice President of Operations, Hans Ahlness. Both Ahlness

and Boe have themselves long histories with weather modification and hail suppression operations. Ahlness has spent much of his 30+-year career in weather modification working on an operational hailsuppression program in the State of North Dakota. Boe began working in weather modification researchin 1974, became a field meteorologist for the North Dakota program in 1982, and then the Director of thatprogram in 1988, where he continued to serve for 13 seasons. The role of WMI Vice President JamesSweeney as primary liaison to the ASWMS remained unchanged, continuing uninterrupted since theprogram’s inception in 1996. Ahlness and Boe have also been familiar with the Alberta operationthroughout that time. Thus, the change in leadership resulted in no loss of experience or programknowledge. For his part, Dr. Krauss assisted in the start-up of the 2009 project, and was himself involvedin several of the tours provided to employees of some of the project-sponsoring insurance companies.

The 2009 project operational meteorological staff remained a strong, talented cadre. Field operationswere led by Jason Goehring, who conducted Alberta operations for his fifth season. He was ably assistedby Dr. Viktor Makitov, who spent his fourth summer in Alberta on the project. The third meteorologist was

new to the project, but not to hail suppression. Matthew Becker had three season’s experience workingon the North Dakota hail suppression program as a field meteorologist, operating radar and directingseeding aircraft, before coming to Alberta.

During the evening of August 2nd a late-night storm was not detected in a timely manner. When detected,the storm was inside the project buffer zone. Though an aircraft was launched as soon as the threat wasrecognized, the storm complex proceeded to track to the south-southeast at about 80 km per hour on adiagonal path across the heart of the target area, from Rocky Mountain House all the way to south of Strathmore. This was an unusual storm in its time of day (see Fig. 34) and it’s very fast movement.Storms typically develop much earlier in the day, and propagate at perhaps half that speed. Though thisdamaging storm was seeded, eventually by two aircraft, the effort was less than ideal. Much of the off season preparation for the 2010 project has been focused on how to prevent such delays from beingrepeated.

With this in mind, the following actions are being implemented for the 2010 project:

To ensure continuous monitoring of the project radar for the presence of convective clouds, thefollowing are being implemented:

o Re-allocation of project meteorologist duty time to ensure that the radar is monitored at alltimes, including late-nights and early mornings. Late-night convection occurs onlyinfrequently in Alberta but the possibility can never be dismissed.

o Better ways to improve real-time monitoring of all Environment Canada warnings andsevere weather statements are being developed and implemented.



68

o WMI is again exploring the feasibilty of establishing of a radar-based automated alertsystem that would activate whenever a convective cell is identified by the TITAN radar software. This was previously explored but proved problematic because late-night groundreturns, especially from the Rocky Mountains, often become strong enough to beidentified as cells. However, there may now be a better way to do this and it is being re-addressed.

Protocols that establish when HAILSTOP aircraft are moved from “telephone standby” to “airportstandby” have been revised to ensure a heighten readiness and further reduce response times.

Protocols that establish when aircraft are launched on patrol flights (flight before actual seedingcriteria have been reached) have likewise been revised to ensure aircraft are on station whenneeded, and that timely aircraft launches occur prior to the development of severe weather (hailstorms) whenever possible. This will sometimes mean flight prior to the development of thunderstorm echoes, especially when the atmosphere is known to be dangerously unstable.

The times of all aircraft launch requests made by the project meteorologists to flight crews willhenceforth be included in the radar operator’s log.

It has been 14 years since the program started. There continue to be many new people in theinsurance industry in central Alberta who are not familiar with the history of the program anddetails of the current cloud seeding project. Five successful information seminars were given atthe Olds operations centre for the staff of several insurers this past summer. WMI would bepleased to offer such tours/seminars for staff from all sponsoring companies, and encouragesother companies to consider this.

It is recommended that information seminars be given (perhaps for continuing education units) aspart of the Alberta Insurance Council accreditation program. The intent of such a training coursewould be to inform the broader insurance industry about the background, organization, andmethodology of the cloud seeding project, and also about hail itself, so that support for theprogram can continue based on current and accurate information. As of December 2009, WMIhad agreed to send Boe to Alberta for the week of 26 April 2010, to present such seminars to

audiences in Calgary, Red Deer, and Lethbridge.

As always, there continues to be a need for more detailed property damage data in order toassess the effectiveness of the seeding program. Several of the larger insurance companieshave been contacted in the past and detailed property damage data requested. The intent iswould be to conduct an anonymous assessment of trends in the loss-to-risk ratios of propertydamage so that insight into the financial effectiveness of the program may be determined. Todate, all major companies continue to view their data as proprietary, and for that reason havedeclined to fulfill the requests.



69

12. REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDED READING

Abshaev, M. T., 1999: Evolution of seeded and non seeded hailstorms. Proc. Seventh WMO ScientificConf. On W ea. Modification. WMP Report No. 31, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva,407-410.

Alberta Research Council, 1985: Atmospheric Sciences - Field Program 1985. R. Deibert (editor),

Alberta Research Council, Edmonton, 70pp. Alberta Research Council, 1986: Weather Modification in Alberta: Research and Operations 1980-85.

ARC report, Edmonton. 18pp. Amburn S. and P. Wolf, 1997: VIL Density as a Hail Indicator. Weather and Forecasting, 12, 473-478.Barge, B.L., and F. Bergwall, 1976: Fine scale structure of convective storms associated with hail

production. Rep. 76-2 (2 Vols.), Atmos. Sci. Div., Alberta Research Council, Edmonton.Battan, L. J., 1973: Radar Observation of the Atmosphere. Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 324 pp.

[Reprinted by: TechBooks, 2600 Seskey Glen Court, Herndon, VA 22071]Bennett, S.P., 1990: A Summary of Weather Modification Activities Reported in the United States During

1989. US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Silver Spring, MD, 23 pp.Benoit, R., J M. Desgagné, P. Pellerin, S. Pellerin, Y. Chartier, and S. Desjardins, 1997: The Canadian

MC2: A semi-Lagrangian, semi-implicit wideband atmospheric model suited for finescale processstudies and simulation. Mon. Wea. Rev., 125, 2382-2415.

Breidenbach, J.P., D.H. Kitzmiller, and R.E. Saffle, 1993: Joint relationships between severe local stormsoccurrence and radar-derived and environmental variables. Preprints, 13th

Conference onWeather Analysis and Forecasting , Vienna, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 588-591.

Brimelow, J., 1999: The HAILCAST model in Alberta. M.Sc. Thesis, Univ. Alberta, Edmonton.Brimelow, J.C., and G.W. Reuter, 2001: A radar-based methodology for preparing a severe weather

climatology in central Alberta. University of Alberta, 17 pp.Brimelow, J.C, G.W. Reuter, R. Goodson, and T.W. Krauss, 2006: Spatial Forecasts of Maximum Hail

Size using Prognostic Model Soundings and HAILCAST, Weather and Forecasting, Vol. 21, No. 2,206-219.

Browning, K. A., 1977: The structure and mechanisms of hailstorms. Hail: A Review of Hail Science andHail Suppression. Meteor. Monograph., 16, 38, 1-43.

Charak, M.T., 1978: Preliminary Analysis of Reported Weather Modification Activities in the US for 1976and 1977. J. Weather Modification, 10, 165.

Charlton, R. B., B. M. Kachman, and L. Wojtiw, 1995: Urban hailstorms: A view from Alberta. Natural

Hazards, 12, 29-75.Chisholm, A. J., 1970: Alberta hailstorms: A radar study and model. Ph.D. Thesis, McGill University,

Montreal, 287pp.Chisholm, A. J., and J. H. Renick, 1972: The kinematics of multicell and supercell Alberta hailstorms,

Alberta Hail Studies, 1972. Research Council of Alberta Rep. 72-2, 24-31.Cohard, J.-M. and J.-P. Pinty, 2000a: A comprehensive two-moment warm microphysical bulk scheme. I:

Description and tests. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 126, 1815-1842.Cooper, W. A., and J. Marwitz, 1980: Winter storms over the San Juan mountains. Part III: Seeding

potential. J. Appl. Met., 19, 942-949.DeMott, P.J., W.G. Finnegan and L.O. Grant, 1983: An application of chemical kinetic theory and

methodology to characterize the ice nucleating properties of aerosols used in weather modification. J. Clim. Appl. Meteor., 22, 1190-1203.

DeMott, P.J., 1987: Report to the Weather Modification Group on tests of the ice nucleating ability of

aerosols produced from the TB-1 formulation AgI pyrotechnic. Dept. Atmos. Sci., Colorado StateUniv., Report, Fort Collins, Co.11pp.

DeMott, P.J., 1990: Report to INTERA Technologies Ltd. on Tests of the Ice Nucleating Ability of WMGTB-1 Formulation Pyrotechnics. Dept. Atmos. Sci., Colorado State Univ., Report, Fort Collins, Co.

DeMott, P.J., 1995: Report to the Weather Modification Group on tests of the ice nucleating ability of aerosols produced from the WMG-1 formulation AgI pyrotechnic. Dept. Atmos. Sci., ColoradoState Univ., Report, Fort Collins, Co.11pp.



70

DeMott, P.J., 1999: Report to the Weather Modification Incorporated on tests of the ice nucleating abilityof aerosols produced by new formulation pyrotechnics – March 1999. Dept. Atmos. Sci., ColoradoState Univ., Report, Fort Collins, Co.10pp.

Dennis, A.S., 1980: Weather Modification by Cloud Seeding. Academic Press, New York. 267 pp.Dennis, A.S., C.A. Schock, and A. Koscielski, 1970: Characteristics of hailstorms of Western South

Dakota. J. Appl. Meteor., 9, 127-135.Dixon, Michael, and Gerry Wiener, 1993: TITAN: Thunderstorm Identification, Tracking, Analysis, and

Nowcasting - A Radar-based Methodology. J. Atmos. and Oceanic Technol., 10, 6, 785-797.English, M., 1986: The testing of hail suppression hypotheses by the Alberta Hail Project. Preprints, 10th

Conf. Weather Modification, Arlington, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 72-76.English, M., and T.W. Krauss, 1986: Results from an Alberta hailstorm seeding experiment. Presented

1st Intl. Cloud Modeling Workshop/Conf., Isree, FRG, July 1985, 79-84.Environment Canada 1987. Climate Atlas of Canada, Map Series 3, Pressure, Humidity, Cloud, Visibility,

and Days with Thunderstorms, Hail, Smoke and Haze, Fog, Freezing Precipitation, Blowing Snow,Frost, Snow on the Ground, Ministry of Supply and Services, Cat. No. EN56-63:3-1986.

Environment Canada El Nino website - http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/education/elnino/index_e.cfmEtkin, D., and S. E. Brun, 1999: A note on Canada’s hail climatology: 1977-1993. Int. J. Climatol. 19:

1357–1373.Ferrier, B.S., 1994: A two-moment multiple-phase four-class bulk ice scheme. Part I: Description. J.

Atmos. Sci., 51, 249-280.

Ferrier, B.S., W.-K. Tau and J. Simpson, 1995: A double-moment multiple-phase four-class bulk icescheme. Part II: Simulations of convective storms in different large-scale environments andcomparisons with other bulk parameterizations. J. Atmos. Sci., 52, 1001-1033.

Foote, G. B., and C. A. Knight, 1979: Results of a randomized hail suppression experiment in northeastColorado. Part I. Design and conduct of the experiment. J. Appl. Meteor., 18, 1526-1537.

Foote, G.B., 1984: The study of hail growth utilizing observed storm conditions. J. Climate. Appl.Meteor.,23,84-101.

Foote, G.B., 1985: Aspects of cumulonimbus classification relevant to the hail problem. J. Rech. Atmos.,19, 61--74.

Foote, G.B., and J.C. Fankhauser, 1973: Airflow and moisture budget beneath a northeast Coloradohailstorm. J. Appl. Meteor., 12, 1330-1353.

Foote, G.B., T.W. Krauss, and V. Makitov, 2005: Hail metrics using conventional radar. Proceedings: 16th

Conf. On Planned and Inadvertent Weather Modification, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Boston.

Garvey, D.M., 1975: Testing of cloud seeding materials at the Cloud Simulation and Aerosol Laboratory,1971-1973. J. Appl. Meteor., 14,883-890.Glossary of Meteorology, American Meteorological Society, Boston, Massachusetts, 1959.Grandia, K.L., D.S. Davison and J.H. Renick, 1979: On the dispersion of silver iodide in Alberta

hailstorms. Proceedings: 7th Conf. on inadvertent and planned weather modification, Amer.Meteor. Soc., Banff.56-57.

Harris, E.R., 1981: Sierra Cooperative Pilot Project: Environmental Assessment and Finding of NoSignificant Impact. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, 196 pp.

Howell, W.E., 1977: Environmental impacts of precipitation management: Results and inferences fromProject Skywater. Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., Vol. 58, 488-501.

Humphries, R.G., M. English, and J. Renick, 1987: Weather Modification in Alberta., J. Weather Modification, 19, 13-24.

Insurance Bureau of Canada, 2001: Facts of the General Insurance Industry of Canada. InsuranceBureau of Canada, Toronto. 44 pp.

Kain, J.S., and J.M. Fritsch, 1993: Convective parameterization for mesoscale models: The Kain-Fritschscheme. The Representation of Cumulus Convection in Numerical Models, Meteo. Monogr., No.46, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 165-170.

Kitzmiller, D. H., and J. P. Breidenbach, 1995: Detection of Severe Local Storm Phenomena by Automated Interpretation of Radar and Storm Environment, Techniques Development Laboratory,Silver Spring, MD, NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS TDL 82. (33 pages)

Kitzmiller, D.H., W.E. McGovern, and R.E Saffle, 1995: The WSR-88D severe weather algorithm. Wea.Forecasting, 10, 141-159.

Kong, F. and M.K. Yau, 1997: An explicit approach to microphysics in MC2. Atm. Ocean. 33, 257-291.Krauss, T.W . 1981. Precipitation Processes in the New Growth Zone of Alberta Hailstorms Ph.D. Thesis,

Univ. of W yoming, Laramie, 296 pp.



71

Krauss, T.W., 1989: An assessment of seeding rate. Greek National Hail Suppression Program 1988 Annual Report. Edited by Rudolph et al., INTERA Report M88-490, Calgary, 5.2 to 5.4.

Krauss, T.W., 1998: Radar responses to seeding of hailstorms in Alberta. 14th Conf. Wea. Mod., AMS,Everett, WA, 632-635.

Krauss, T.W., R.T. Bruintjes, and H. Martinez, 2000: A new hail suppression project using aircraft seedingin Argentina. J. Weather Mod., Vol. 32, 1, 73 - 80.

Krauss, T.W ., and J.D. Marwitz, 1984: Precipitation processes within an Alberta supercell hailstorm. J. Atmos. Sci., 41, 1025-1034.

Krauss, T.W. and V. Makitov, 2001: An overview of the Mendoza hail suppression program 2000.Proceedings, 15th Conf. Inadvertent and Planned Weather Modification, Amer. Meteor. Soc.,

Albuquerque, New Mexico.Krauss, T. W., and J. Renick, 1997: The new Alberta hail suppression project. J. Weather Mod., Vol. 29,

1, 100 - 105.Krauss, T.W., R.E. Rinehart, J.L. Kollegger, and S.A. Kozak, 1998: VIL as a predictor for hail in Alberta.

Preprints, 14th Conference on Planned and Inadvertent W eather Modification, Everett, Amer.Meteor. Soc., 589-592.

Krauss, T.W., and J.R. Santos, 2004: Exploratory analysis of the effect of hail suppression operations onprecipitation in Alberta. Atmospheric Research, Vol. 71, 35-50.

Krauss, T.W., W.Shaw, A.A.Sinkevich, V.S.Makitov, 2006: Cloud seeding in India and physical andstatistical assessment of the results. Journal of Meteorology and Hydrology, Russia, V7, 24-33.

Landscheidt, T., 1999: Solar activity a dominant factor in climate dynamics,http://www.vision.net.au/~daly/solar/solar.htm

Landscheidt, T. 1999:Trends in pacific decadal oscillation subjected to solar forcing,http://www.vision.net.au/~daly/theodor/pdotrend.htm

Landscheidt, T. 1999: Solar activity controls El Nino and La Nina, http://www.vision.net.au/~daly/sun-enso/sun-enso.htm

Makitov, V., 1999: Organization and main results of the hail suppression program in the northern area of the province of Mendoza, Argentina. J. W eather Modification, 31, 76-86.

Marwitz, J.D., 1972a: The structure and motion of severe hailstorms. Part I: Supercell storms. J. Appl.Meteor., 11, 166-179.

Marwitz, J.D., 1972b: The structure and motion of severe hailstorms. Part II: Multicell storms. J. Appl.Meteor., 11, 180-188.

Marwitz, J.D., 1972c: The structure and motion of severe hailstorms. Part III: Severely sheared storms. J.

Appl. Meteor., 11, 166-179.Marwitz, J.D., 1972d: Precipitation efficiency of thunderstorms on the High Plains. J. Rech. Atmos., 6,367-370.

Mather, G. K., M. J. Dixon, J. M. DeJager, 1996: Assessing the potential for rain augmentation – TheNelspruit randomized convective cloud seeding experiment. J. Appl. Meteor., 35, 1465-1482.

Meyers, M.P., R.L. W alko, J.Y. Harrington and W.R. Cotton, 1997: New RAMS cloud microphysics. PartII: The two-moment scheme. Atmos. Res., 45, 3-39.

Milbrandt, J.A. and M.K. Yau, 2003: Analysis of the role of the shape parameter in bulk microphysicsparameterizations and a proposed triple-moment approach. Submitted to J. Atmos. Sci.

Miller, R., 1972: Notes on Analysis and Severe-Storm Forecasting Procedures of the Air Force GlobalWeather Central. Air Weather Service Technical Report 200 (Rev), United States Air Force,Chapters 5 and 7.

Mullayarov, V. A., V.I. Kozlov, and R.R. Karimov, 2001.:Relation of thunderstorm activity to cosmic rayvariations. In: ISCS 2001 Abstracts. Solar Variability, Climate and Space Weather.

NOAA PDO website - http://ww2.wrh.noaa.gov/climate_info/PDO_page.htmRamanathan, V., B.R. Barkstrom, and E.F. Harrison, 1989: Climate and the earth’s radiation budge.

Physics Today, 22.Rasmussen, E.N., and D. O. Blanchard, 1998: A baseline climatology of sounding-derived supercell and

tornado forecast parameters. Weather and Forecasting, 13, 1148-1164.Renick, J., 1975: The Alberta Hail Project: Update 1975. J. of Weather Mod., 7, no. 2, 1-6.Rinehart, R. E., 1997: Radar for Meteorologists. 3rd Edition, Rinehart Publications, P.O. Box 6124, Grand

Forks, ND. 58206-6124. 428 pp.Rosenfeld, D., W. Woodley, T.W. Krauss, V. Makitov, 2006: Aircraft Microphysical Documentations from

Cloud Base to Anvils of Hailstorm Feeder Clouds in Argentina. Journal of Applied Meteorologyand Climatology, Vol. 45, No. 9, pp 1261–1281.



72

Ross, C., and P. Woloshyn, 1986: Effect of Hail and Drought on Major Crops in Alberta. Alberta Agriculture Report. Edmonton. 34pp.

Rudolph, R., and C. Ganniaris-Papageorgiou, 1991: Effects of cloud seeding on hail insurance statisticsin northern Greece. Paper presented at the 2nd Conf. on Hail Suppression. Yugoslavia.

Rudolph, R.C., C.M. Sachiw, and G.T. riley, 1994: Statistical evaluation of the 1984-88 seedingexperiment in northern Greece. J. Weather Modification, 26, 53-60.

Schnur, R., T. W. Krauss, F. Joe Eley, and D. Lettenmaier, 1997: Spatiotemporal analysis of radar-estimated precipitation during the BOREAS Summer 1994 Field Campaigns. J. of GeophysicalResearch, vol. 102, D24, 29,417-29,427.

Shabbar, A., 1997: El Nino. Environment Canada’s web page. Downsview, Ont.Sheremata, D, 1998: Hail Busters: Shooting for the clouds. Canadian Geographic, Vol. 118, No. 5, 66-

70.Smith, P.L., L.R. Johnson, D.L. Priegnitz, B.A. Boe, and P.W. Mielke Jr., 1997: An exploratory analysis of

crop hail insurance data for evidence of cloud seeding effects in North Dakota. J. Applied Meteor.,36, 463-473.

Smith, P. L., and L. R. Lemon, 1997, Characteristics of Radar Echoes from Hailstorms. 31st CMOSCongress, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, pp 66.

Stanley-Jones, M., 1996: Radar systems, Theoretical & Practical Measurement Procedures, unpublishedmanuscript, 112 pp.

Strong, G. S., 1979: A convective forecast index as an aid in hail suppression evaluation. Proceedings,

7th Conf. Inadvertent and Planned Weather Modification, Amer. Meteor. Soc., Banff, 2pp.Strong, G. S., and W. D. Wilson, 1983: The Synoptic Index of Convection, Part I: Evaluation of the Single-

Valued Index, 1978-82. 17th Annual CMOS Congress, Banff. Atmos. Sci. Dept., AlbertaResearch Council, Red Deer. 29-37.

Summers, P. W., and L. W ojtiw, 1971: The economic impact of hail damage in Alberta, Canada and itsdependence on various hailfall parameters. Preprints, Seventh Conf. of Severe Local Storms,Kansas City, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 158-163.

Svensmark, H. & Friis-Christensen, E.: Variation of cosmic ray flux and global cloud coverage – a missinglink in solarclimate relationships. J. Atm. Sol.Terr. Phys. 59 (1997), 1225.

Terblanche, D. E., 1996: A simple digital signal processing method to simulate linear and quadraticresponses from a radar’s logarithmic receiver. J. Atmos. And Oceanic Tech., 13, 533-538.

University of Washington PDO website - http://tao.atmos.washington.edu/pdo/Waldvogel, A., B. Federer, and P. Grimm, 1979: Criteria for the detection of hail cells. J. Appl. Meteor.,

25, 1521-1525.Winston H. A., and L. J. Ruthi, 1986: Evaluation of RADAPII Severe Storm Detection Algorithms. AMSBulletin, VOL 67, 145-150.

Ziegler, C.L., 1985: Retrieval of thermal and microphysical variables in observed convective storms. Part1: Model development and preliminary testing. J. Atmos. Sci., 42, 1497-1509.



73

APPENDICES

A. Organization Chart

B. Daily Weather and Activities Summary Table

C. Aircraft Operations Summary Table

D. Flight Summary Table

E. Forms

Weather Forecast Worksheet

WMI Radar Observer Log

WMI Seeding Aircraft Flight Log

F. Specifications for Piper Cheyenne II Aircraft

G. Specifications for Cessna C-340 Aircraft

H. Specifications for Beechcraft King-Air C90 Aircraft

I. Ground School Agenda

J. Airborne Seeding Solution

K. Daily Meteorological Forecast Statistics

L. Project Personnel and Telephone List



74

A. ORGANIZATION CHART

Alberta Severe Weather Management Society

Board of DirectorsTodd Klapak, Chairman

Project ManagersHans Ahlness, Bruce Boe

MeteorologyForecasting and a/c Control

Chief Financial Officer Catherine Janssen

Weather Modification Inc.Patrick Sweeney – President

AviationPilots

Aircraft Maintenance andElectronics

Vice-PresidentJames Sweeney



75

B. DAILY WEATHER AND ACTIVITIES SUMMARY TABLE 200920060606 21z

ALBERTA HAIL SUPPRESSION PROJECT 2009

DAILY SUMMARY REPORTS

Date 2009 Weather Activities Summary

June 01,Monday

Upper level jet along the Canadian and US border with asecondary jet nosing into AB from the north. Highpressure off the BC coast. A trof had moved through thearea and is now to the south and east. The atmosphereis mostly stable over the area.

Fairly cool and cloudy skies with mostly Sc, Ac and Cuclouds in the morning and early afternoon. By lateafternoon, clearing began and remained completely clear overnight.

Tmax YC = 12.9C and no rain.Tmax QF = 13.5C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 12.2C and no rain.

No aircraft operations.

June 02,Tuesday

Main jet remains along the Canadian and US border, butis moving eastward with the secondary jet into northern AB. Large ridge is along the west coast, with itsinfluence through our area. The atmosphere is warming,dry and stable.

Dry air and clear skies except for a very few Ci, Ac, andCu clouds. Cold morning temperatures around the areawith a low of -4.5C in Rocky, -4.5C in Sundre, and -2C inQF.


All 4 aircraft conducted test flightsalong the foothills.

Flight SummaryHS1: 2218-2341: 1 EJ, 1 BIP;patrol Cochrane.HS2: 2225-2340: 1 BIP, 6 minacetone generators; patrolCremona.HS3: 2225-2331: 1 BIP; patrolCaroline.HS4: 2250-0015: 1 BIP, 6 minacetone generators; patrol Rocky.

June 03,Wednesday

Jet streak extending from NW Terr. into southern MB, soust a little to our north and east. Large ridge remains

along the west coast, but a low will be cutting southwardthrough SK overnight and tomorrow. A cold front is innorthern AB. The atmosphere is warming and the lowlevels are dry.

Sunny and nice day with clear skies except for a few Ci,Cu, Ac, and As. Another cold morning with a lowtemperature of -0.5C in QF, -1.8C in Rocky and –2.6C inSundre.

Tmax YC = 23.1C and no rain.Tmax QF = 23.7C and no rain.

Tmax Radar = 22.1C and no rain.


June 04,Thursday

Jet core has now sagged southward over our area.Ridge is still over the west coast but is weakening over AB. Weak vorticity is over the foothills today and a weakcold front will be passing through the project area in thelate afternoon. The atmosphere is unstable with slight,upper level cooling.

A few SHRA developed over the foothills after 2230Z anddrifted into the project area around Calgary by 01Z. Aline of thundershowers developed from Rocky toStrathmore after 03Z and then mostly diminished by 06Z,




76

with some areas of rain through the night.42 Max dBz.

Tmax YC = 21.5C and no rain.Tmax QF = 19.1C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 18.6C and 0.5 mm of rain.

June 05, Friday Jet core has backed to the west over eastern BC.Developing low will be moving southward through AB.Lots of vorticity and moisture is associated with the low.The atmosphere is saturated with small instability at thelow levels.

Cloudy and cool. The high temperature for the dayoccurred in the early morning hours just after midnight. Afew SHRA in the morning with a bigger area of RAdeveloping after 17Z and lasted through the afternoon.The precipitation had changed to mostly snow just before00Z and very light snow fell through the night in thesouthern project.31 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 10.6C and 6.0 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 10.2C and 3.0 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 7.7C and 9.0 mm of rain.


June 06,Saturday

Jet core is still to the west over BC. Upper level low ispositioned over southern AB. Plenty of vorticity andmoisture over the area again. The atmosphere is coldbut slight unstable, more so in the north.

Scattered areas of precipitation over the project areathroughout the day. Light snowfall in the Calgary area inthe morning changed to a rain and snow mix in theafternoon. Most precipitation had tapered off by 06Z.3 mm ice pellets reported at YC at 0329Z.36 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 8.1C and 6.4 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 11.5C and 0.4 mm rain.Tmax Radar = 8.7C and 0.9 mm of rain.


June 07,Sunday

Upper Low nearly stationary over AB with PVA thru theperiod. Lower levels remain moist and unseasonablycool, with some instability as well.

TSRA along Western border late afternoon with scattered –RA near QF, then mostly cloudy overnight with fogdeveloping around sunrise.34 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 11C and no rain.

Tmax QF = 10C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 7.5C and no rain.


June 08,Monday

Upper Low still situated over AB with low-level moistureincreasing as the period progresses. Some PVA alongthe mountains late in the afternoon and evening.

Scattered SHRA developed after 17z and lasted thru 01zwith a few lightning strokes mainly in the N, then mostlyRA until around 09z tapering off towards sunrise.36 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 12C and no rain.




77

Tmax QF = 11.9C and 0.4mm rain.Tmax Radar = 11.7C and 0.4mm rain.

June 09,Tuesday

Upper Low starting to drift into SK as SFC High begins tobuild into the project area. Short wave moving thru thearea in the afternoon ahead of more stable, dry airmass.

Scattered SHRA around YC and the eastern border of the project with some lightning detected thru lateafternoon. Clearing overnight.39 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 15C and a trace rain.Tmax QF = 16C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 14C and no rain.

Public Relations: 5 individualsfrom AXA Insurance visited theOlds radar site and spent timetalking with pilots and

meteorologists, learning about thecloud seeding project. All had agood time!

HS1 flew from YC to Olds and HS4flew from QF to Olds for the AXAInsurance visit to the radar site.

Flight SummaryHS1: 1702-1749Z; no seeding, YCto Olds.HS4: 1721-1755Z; no seeding, QFto Olds.HS1: 2137-2211Z; no seeding,Olds to YC.

HS4: 2138-2209Z; no seeding,Olds to QF.

June 10,Wednesday

SFC High continues to build into the area beneathdeveloping upper level diffluent pattern. Fairly stable/dryair in place thru the mid and lower levels.

Mostly CLR with a few fair CU developing around theafternoon. A few showers over the foothills during theafternoon, but didn’t move into the project area. CLRovernight.

Tmax YC = 19C and no rain.Tmax QF = 19C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 18C and no rain.

HS3 conducted three test flights tocheck the EJ firing system.

HS2 performed a patrol andtraining flight near some TCU and-SHRA over the foothills.

Flight SummaryHS3: 0420-0507Z; no seeding, testQF.HS3: 1921-1957Z; 3 EJ, test QF.HS2: 1954-2121Z; no seeding,

patrol foothills.HS3: 2057-2118Z; 6 EJ, test QF.

June 11,Thursday

Upper level divergence over the area today with jet to thesouth and east. A weak cool front is expected to stall outover the area tonight and create a weak surfaceboundary.

A few Cu and Ci clouds during the afternoon. Some verylight rain developed around midnight and moved throughthe central project areas during the night.15 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 23C and no rain.Tmax QF = 24C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 21.7C and no rain.


June 12, Friday Main jet is to the south and east. Surface boundary isalong the north and east edge of the project area. Thereis limited mid and low level moisture, but is the mostinstability in the atmosphere so far this summer.

Thundershowers formed over the foothills around noon,but with weak wind shear there was very little movement.The widespread area of thundershowers moved into theproject after 21Z. Two short-lived stronger cellsdeveloped around 23Z, one near Sylvan and the other ust east of YC. 4 mm ice pellets at YC at 2330Z.

Max cell top= 9.5 km, 50 max dBz, 7.0 max VIL.




78

Tmax YC = 23.1C and 3.2 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 23C and 9.4 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 21.2C and no rain.

June 13,Saturday

Weak Low-pressure trough is approaching the targetarea from the West. Surface Low-pressure center is

located to the south of BC. Stationery front remainslocated over SK. The atmosphere is very unstable andhumid.

A few showers formed after 19Z in the foothills and thewestern project. After 21Z the scattered showersincreased into thundershowers. Storm #1 developednorth of Bagg Creek around 00Z and slowly movedthrough north Calgary. A few areas of thundershowersremained until 03Z. 0.6 cm hail was reported at YC at0112Z from storm #1.Max cell top= 10.5 km, 50 max dBz, 8.0 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 26.5 C and 9.4mm of rain.Tmax QF = 25.9C and no rain.


HS1 was launched at 0035Z. HS1was airborne at 0052Z. HS1

started seeding storm #1 at 01Z atcloud top on the west side of Calgary. HS1 continued seedingstorm #1 as it moved throughCalgary finding decent LW andupdrafts. HS1 stopped seedingstorm #1 at 0144Z as the stormhad moved past Calgary and wasdiminishing with no more seedingtargets. HS1 RTB at 0155Z.

Flight SummaryHS1: 0045-0209Z; 58 EJ, 4 BIP;#1 N YC.

June 14,Sunday

Weak Low-pressure trough remains located over theeastern part of AB. Surface Low-pressure center islocated over the project area. Jet PVA core isapproaching AB from the west. The atmosphere isunstable and humid.

SHRA developed in the foothills around 18Z. A stronger thunderstorm developed near Limestone mountain about1930Z and slowly moved eastward but then diminishedbefore reaching Sundre. There were areas of weakthundershowers until 01Z and then some rain overnight.Max cell top= 10.5 km, 52 max dBz, 12.1 max VIL.



June 15,Monday

Low-pressure trough is approaching AB from the west.Surface Low-pressure center is located SW of the targetarea. Stationary front remains located over the northernpart of AB. The atmosphere is unstable and humid.

Light rain in the morning in the northern project.Thundershowers formed over the foothills after 18Z.Scattered, weak thundershowers developed over theproject area after 21Z. A stronger thunderstorm formedright over QF at 2340Z but only lasted for 35 min. 1 cmhail was reported at QF at 2348Z.




June 16,Tuesday

Low-pressure trough has passed the target area and nowits axis is located over the eastern part of AB. SurfaceLow-pressure center is located over the target area.Stationary front remains located over the northern partsof AB and SK. The atmosphere is unstable and humid.

Thundershowers in the foothills in the early afternoon and


Terry Krauss and Barry Robinsoncompleted a radar calibration.



79

persisted in the southern and central project area thru00z. 6mm hail reported @ 1940z from CYBW.Max cell top= 10.5 km, 46 max dBz, 6.1 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 21.5C and 13.6 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 23.5C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 22.3C and no rain.

June 17,Wednesday

Short wave Low-pressure trough is located over thetarget area. Surface Low-pressure center has formedover the central part of AB. Jet PVA core is approaching AB from the west and now it is located over BC. Theatmosphere is unstable and humid.

Showers along the foothills beginning around 19z andmoving E to NE thru the project area. The SHRAdeveloped into thundershowers around 20z thru 22z,then diminishing to light rain through the evening andovernight.Max cell top= 8.5 km, 46 max dBz, 6.9 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 22.4C and 0.4 mm of rain.

Tmax QF = 24.5C and 2.8 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 23.0C and 9.5 mm of rain.

HS2 performed a patrol flight in theCrossfield and Carstairs area.HS2 found no inflow on the weakthundershower.

Flight SummaryHS2: 2026-2146Z; no seeding,patrol Carstairs.

June 18,Thursday

High-pressure ridge is approaching to AB province fromthe West. Surface Low-pressure center is located NE of the target area. Stationary front remains located over thenorthern parts of AB, SK. and MB provinces. Theatmosphere is slightly unstable and humid.

Three bands of thundershowers moved through theCalgary area beginning at 20Z and ending about 03Z.There were also some light showers in the north duringthe evening.There was an unsubstantiated report of golf ball sizedhail in NW Calgary to Global TV around 23Z.


Tmax YC = 19.7 C and 3.6 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 22.3C and 3.6 m of rain.Tmax Radar = 20.7C and 0.3 mm of rain.

HS4 performed a patrol flight near Cremona. HS4 found no inflow.

HS1 was launched at 0155Z tothundershower approachingCochrane. HS1 was airborne at0209Z. HS1 reported no seedingtargets and storm was diminishing.HS1 was RTB at 0237Z.

Flight SummaryHS4: 2108-2303Z; no seeding,

patrol Cremona.HS1: 0200-0255Z; no seeding,patrol Cochrane.

June 19, Friday Upper jet is just to the south of the project area. A weakridge has moved though and now over eastern AB. Asurface low is expected to be forming in southern AB thisafternoon. The atmosphere is unstable.

Broken areas of rain developed across the project areaduring the afternoon with some lightning. The strongestcell was short lived near Rimbey. The rain lasted until05Z.


Tmax YC = 21.8C and a trace of rain.Tmax QF = 23.5C and 6.8 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 22.1C and 0.6 mm of rain.

HS2 flew a short test flight to makesure the acetone burners werefunctioning.

HS1 performed a patrol flight over the foothills through some weakshowers.

Flight Summary

HS2: 1825-1905Z; 8 min acetonegenerators, test Cochrane.HS1: 1827-1936Z; no seeding,patrol foothills.

June 20,Saturday

Upper jet is now directly over the project area. A deeptrof is over BC, giving southerly flow over AB. A stronglow will be forming in MT during the evening and movingnorthward bringing upslope flow overnight. Theatmosphere is only slightly unstable.

Weak thundershowers developed over the foothills




80

around 21Z, mostly to the north of Limestone mountain.These thundershowers moved into the Rocky area by23Z and lasted through most of the evening. Overnight,widespread rain with some lightning moved in from theeast beginning about 09Z.42 max dBz, 3.3 max VIL.


June 21,Sunday

Tail end of upper level jet now over the project area.Deep trof over BC, but very little for upper level dynamicsin the project area. Surface low in southern SKproducing lots of cloud cover in AB and SK. Only a smallamount of instability in the atmosphere.

Overcast skies in the morning became broken by lateafternoon. The widespread rain in the morningdiminished by 20Z with only a few SHRA in the afternoonand evening.40 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 16.1C and a trace of rain.Tmax QF = 17.2C and 2.6 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 14.8C and 20 mm of rain.


June 22,Monday

Main upper jet is to the south of AB, with weak flow over the province. A mid level low is moving through ID andMT, pushing moisture and energy into southern AB. Theatmosphere is cooling and slightly unstable.

A few showers were in the far southern project area from18Z to 21Z. Scattered SHRA developed in the northaround 22Z and then diminished by 01Z. More showersformed around Calgary by 23Z and lasted until 05Z. Afew lightning strikes were detected in the late afternoon.

37 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 17.3C and no rain.Tmax QF = 18.1C and 0.4 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 16.5C and 0.6 mm of rain.


June 23,Tuesday

A short wave trof is passing through the project areaearly this afternoon and then a ridge begins building inbehind the trof. The atmosphere is somewhat dry andcool but unstable.

Scattered SHRA developed in the western project around17Z and lasted through 03Z. A few cells developed intoshort live thundershowers between 1830Z and 22Z.Max titan cell= 7.5 km, 47 max dBz, 4.2 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 20.1C and no rain.Tmax QF = 19.0C and 0.6 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 18.5C and no rain.


June 24,Wednesday

Upper jet in southern BC will be moving into AB duringthe night. Ridge axis is now along the AB/SK border butstill influencing the project area. The atmosphere is dryat low levels and stable.

Mostly clear skies in the morning and early afternoon andthen a passing band of mid and upper level clouds in thelate afternoon and evening.




81


June 25,Thursday

Upper level low is moving into northern AB with thesurface low moving into central AB just to the north of the

project area. Trailing cool front moving through the areaduring the afternoon and then bringing drier, stable air.

Weak thundershowers developed around Sundre andnorth of Airdrie in the early afternoon. Scatteredthundershowers persisted through 23Z in the northproject area with some light rain ending by 02Z.Max titan cell= 7.5 km, 46 max dBz, 5.2 max VIL.


Public Relations: 14 individualsfrom The Co-operators Insurance

Company visited the Olds radar site and the Calgary airport officeto spend time talking with pilotsand meteorologists, learning aboutthe cloud seeding project.

HS3 and HS4 flew from QF to YCand back for the insurance groupvisit to the Calgary office. HS3performed a fly-by at the radar for the insurance group during theflight to YC.

Flight SummaryHS3: 2026-2113Z; no seeding, QF

to YC.HS4: 2028-2114Z; no seeding, QFto YC.HS3: 2355-0043Z; no seeding, YCto QF.HS4: 2356-0101Z; no seeding, YCto QF.

June 26, Friday Upper low is in central AB with trof digging through theproject area this evening and overnight. PVA is presentaround YC late with very limited low level instability andcontinued drying of the low and mid levels of theatmosphere.

A few, small convective showers developed in the early

afternoon around Airdrie. During the evening, morestratus rain was observed in the Strathmore area.32 max dBz.



June 27,Saturday

Upper level closed low is moving into northern BC while aet max begins nosing into the project area overnight.

Upper level ridge is the dominant feature over the areaproviding very stable, dry air throughout the day.

Mostly clear skies in the morning and early afternoon,with Ci and Ac clouds during the mid and late afternoon.



June 28,Sunday

Upper level jet pushing into the project area from thewest this afternoon. Upper low over NW BC with vorticitymax rotating through the northern project area. Limitedlow level moisture and a little instability in theatmosphere.

Light showers developed in the Sundre to Rocky area




82

during the afternoon and lasted until 00Z. Over night,more showers developed in the north and central projectregions with a few strikes of lightning.39 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 24.5C and no rain.Tmax QF = 20.3C and no rain.


June 29,Monday

Upper level jet over the area again today with broad trof through the western provinces. S/w trof moving throughthe project area this afternoon with surface lowdeveloping along the trof. Modest low-level moisture inthe afternoon, along with moderate instability.

Showers started forming in the Sundre to Rocky areaafter 20Z. Storm #1 developed at 22Z east of Caroline,passing through Red Deer around 2330Z and out of theproject by 0030Z. Scattered thundershowers remained inthe northern project area through 06Z.Pea size (0.8 cm) hail was reported in Red Deer fromstorm #1.


HS4 was launched at 2218Z. HS4was airborne at 2241Z. HS4started seeding storm #1 at 2247Zsouth of Sylvan Lake. HS4continued seeding storm #1 as itmoved through Red Deer, findinggood inflow. HS4 stopped seedingstorm #1 at 0002Z as the stormhad moved past Red Deer. HS4RTB at 0010Z with no moregrowing cells.

Flight Summary

HS4: 2229-0038; 13 BIP, 136 minacetone generator time, #1 RedDeer.

June 30,Tuesday

Upper level jet still over the project area with deep lowover northern AB. Strong PVA rotating through southern AB this afternoon. Lower levels of the atmosphere arebecoming more-unstable in late afternoon.

Light showers developed in the NW project around 19Z.By 22Z a line of weak thundershowers formed fromSundre to Innisfail. Storm #1 developed near Cremonaaround 00Z and moved eastward passing just north of Airdrie at 0115Z. Short-lived storm #2 developed on the

west side of Calgary at 0130Z but never developed muchbeyond a rain shower. Some rain remained until 05Z.Shot size hail (0.5 cm) was reported in Rocky and at theradar.Max titan cell= 6.5 km, 47 max dBz, 5.4 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 18.4 C and a trace of rain.Tmax QF = 16.5 C and a trace of rain.Tmax Radar = 15.5 C and 6.2 mm of rain.

HS2 was launched at 2243Z. HS2was airborne 2302Z andproceeded to patrol a line of weakthundershowers west of Didsbury.HS2 started seeding storm #1 near Cremona at 0037Z with goodinflow. HS2 stopped seedingstorm #1 at 0122Z as it was eastof QEII and was directed towardssmall development west of

Calgary. HS2 started seedingstorm #2 at 0157Z with very smallinflow. HS2 stopped seedingstorm #2 at 0225Z and RTB as thecell was quickly diminishing.

Flight SummaryHS2: 2249-0239Z; 16 BIP, #1Cremona, #2 BW.

July 01,Wednesday

Low-pressure trough continues to move to the West andnow its axis is located over the central part of SKprovince. Surface High-pressure center is located over the border between BC and AB provinces. Jet PVA coreremains located over the Southern part of Alberta. The

atmosphere is unstable and humid.

Nice and mostly clear Canada day in the early afternoon.Showers developed over the foothills near Bragg Creekbeginning at 2130Z. One cell developed into athundershower by 23Z as it moved into west Calgary.The strongest cell formed south of Bragg Creek at 2330Zbut diminished by 0030Z SW of Calgary.Max titan cell= 8.5 km, 47 max dBz, 5.4 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 19.4 C and 0.8 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 19.4 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 18.7 C and 0.5 mm of rain in the rain




83

gauge.

July 02,Thursday

Upper level Low –pressure center is located northern AB.Weak Low-pressure trough associated with this center isapproaching to the target area from the NW. SurfaceHigh-pressure center remains located over the projectarea. Jet PVA core is located over the southern parts of

AB and SK. The atmosphere is unstable and humid.

Showers developed along the foothills beginning around19Z and slowly moved through the north and centralproject areas as weak thundershowers, lasting until 02Z.More scattered thundershowers developed over theproject area around 04Z. A stronger storm formed rightover Calgary at 0515Z but it had diminished by 0540Z.Max titan cell= 8.5 km, 48 max dBz, 5.9 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 20.5 C and 0.8 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 21.4 C and 2.0 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 18.8 C and 3.8 mm of rain.


July 03, Friday Upper level Low –pressure center remains located over

the northern border of AB. Low-pressure trough haspassed the project area and now its axis is located over SK. Jet PVA core is located over the Southern parts of AB and SK provinces. The atmosphere is unstable andhumid.

A few showers formed near Limestone mountain around20Z and lasted until 23Z, but all diminished as theydrifted into the project area. More showers developedafter 09Z in the southern project area and then some inthe northeast project regions after 10Z. A few verylightning strikes were detected from these showers.38 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 20.3 C and trace of rain.

Tmax QF = 20.0 C and 1.8 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 18.9 C and no rain.


July 04,Saturday

Upper level Low –pressure center remains located over the Northern border of AB. Low-pressure trough passedthe project area during the last night. Surface High-pressure center is located over the Southern part of SK.Jet PVA core is crossing the AB and SK provinces fromthe NW to the SE. The atmosphere is unstable andhumid.

Many thunderstorms developed during the afternoon andtracked through the project area. This was the first bigoutbreak of the season.Storm #1 developed along the foothills W of CYBW

around 2130Z and began tracking to the east. The stormcontinued to develop into a hail threat as it approachedthe BW/YC area, then diminished as it moved thru themetro area from 22-23Z.Storm #2 developed in the western buffer near Elktonaround 20Z and began slowly moving eastward. At2130Z the storm was just south of Cremona andappeared to be a hail threat. Around 22Z the stormbegan to weaken into +SHRA and continued to diminishover the next ½ hr, then redeveloped as it begancrossing QEII north of Airdrie.Storm #3 began developing around 2245Z west of Sundre, tracking slowly towards the east. At about

HS2 was launched at 2133Z andwas airborne at 2150Z. By 2158Zthey had found good inflow andbegan seeding at cloud base near BW. At 2245Z they reported noinflow over YC and stoppedseeding briefly, then started againat 2250Z when inflow redeveloped. At 2320Z they were repositioned tothe W of Sundre and beganseeding in the area there at2334Z. At 0005Z they reported no

inflow and proceeded to patrol theCochrane area but found nosuitable targets there and RTB at0015Z.

HS1 was launched at 2153Z. HS1was airborne at 2216Z. HS1 foundno seeding targets and was RTBat 2233Z due to a door seal leak.

HS3 was launched at 2323Z andwas airborne at 2339Z. Around2355Z they reported good



84

2330Z it began moving thru Sundre as it weakened. By00Z the storm was thru the Sundre area and had almostcompletely dissipated.Storm #4 was already developed at 2230Z as it enteredthe NW buffer zone heading ESE towards Rocky MtnHouse. By 00Z, it had moved thru the RMH area asSHRA and continued to diminish over the next hour.

Storm #5 began developing just after 00Z near QF,ahead of the decaying Storm #4. Around 0045Z it beganmoving thru the QF area and HS4 PIC reported a funnelcloud near the NE side of town. By 0130Z the storm wasthru the QF area and dissipating.Storm #6 developed around 0130Z west of CYBW andquickly diminished into SH by 02Z. It redeveloped intoheavier SHRA by 0230Z near the Carstairs area, thenbegan dissipating again and was east of QEII by 03Z.

0.6 cm hail reported at BW at 2214Z from storm #1.Max titan cell= 11.5 km, 53 max dBz, 15.9 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 25.2 C and 3.2 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 23.5 C and trace of rain.

Tmax Radar = 23.4 C and 2.6 mm of rain.

liquid/updrafts in feeders near RMH and began seeding at cloudtop. At 0005Z they reported nosuitable targets in the area andrepositioned to the Sylvan area.

At 0035Z they began seedingagain S of Sylvan Lake and

continued until 0119Z when theyreported no good targets in thearea so they repositioned to the Wto patrol the RMH area. By 0153they were unable to locate anygood targets and RTB.

HS4 was launched at 0104Z andwas airborne at 0119Z. At 0132Zthey began seeding at base N of RMH and continued until 0220Z. At that time they repositioned tothe QF area to patrol but found nosuitable targets. At 0242 they RTBafter reporting no new growth in

the area.

HS2 was launched at 0154Z. HS2was airborne at 0207Z. Theypatrolled the area W then N of Cochrane At 0245Z theyinvestigated the area near Crossfield but were unable tolocate any inflow and at 0248Zthey RTB.

Flight SummaryHS2: 2140-0033Z; 15 BIP, 103min acetone generator time, #1Calgary, #2 N Airdrie, #3 S

Sundre.HS1: 2205-2247Z; no seeding,patrol Calgary.HS3: 2328-0209Z; 49 EJ, 5 BIP,#4 Rocky, #5 QF.HS4: 0106-0250Z; 6 BIP, 48 minacetone generator time, #6 Rocky.HS2: 0158-0322Z; no seeding,patrol N Calgary.

July 05,Sunday

Upper level Low-pressure center has moved to the Eastand now it is located over the Northern part of SK.Surface High-pressure center is located over the projectarea. Jet PVA core is crossing AB and SK provincesfrom the NW to the SE. The atmosphere is unstable and

very humid.

Thunderstorms developed over the southern ½ of thewestern buffer zone after 21Z with most diminishingbefore they reached the project area. A few isolated cellspersisted and tracked E towards YC, BW and theOkotoks/High River area, but no storms actually reachedany of the major metro areas.Storm #1 developed NW of Cochrane around 2330Z andmoved slowly to the E. It diminished quickly and by0030Z the storm had dissipated N and E of Cochrane.Max titan cell= 10.5, 49 max dBz, 9.4 max VIL.

HS2 was launched at 2203Ztowards developing cells along thewestern border near BW. At2224Z HS2 was airborne anddiscovered that their gyro was

malfunctioning and theyimmediately RTB.

HS3 was launched at 2323Z andwere airborne at 2335Z. En routethey patrolled a small cell near Cremona and found small updraftswith no liquid. They continued ontowards a cell developing W of Okotoks that fell apart before theyarrived. At 00Z they werepatrolling the area W of YC/BW



85

Golf ball size hail was reported outside the project area tothe south of Nanton.


and at 0020Z they began seedingtops of feeders associated withStorm #1 N of Cochrane. At0031Z they had to descend toshed ice off of the aircraft. At0038Z they began climbing back toaltitude over BW to continue

patrolling. At 0058Z they reportedno good visual targets and RTB toYC.

Flight SummaryHS2: 2210-2237Z; no seeding;patrol BW.HS3: 2324-0113Z; 39 EJ, 2 BIP;#1 Cochrane.

July 06,Monday

Upper level Low-pressure center and Low-pressuretrough are approaching the project area from the West.Cold front is located over the Northern part of AB andmoving slowly to the South. Jet PVA core is crossing theSouthern part of AB from the SE to the NW. The

atmosphere is unstable and very humid.

A few scattered showers in the morning. Surface low andcold front moved into southern AB bringing widespreadthick cloud cover and rain beginning around 18Z in thesouth and moving into the northern project regions bymid afternoon. There were embedded thundershowerswithin the widespread rain. The south cleared by 22Zwith rain lasting through the night in the north.42 max dBz, 3.1 max VIL.


HS3 performed a patrol flight fromYC to BW and the Cochrane areaand found some liquid below thefreezing level, and ice with little tono updrafts in the turrets. At

1930Z they RTB to QF.

Flight SummaryHS3: 1905-1952Z; no seeding;patrol Cochrane.

July 07,Tuesday

Upper level low over BC creating a broad trof over western Canada. Areas of PVA scattered over southern AB within the trof region. Surface low centered over theNE project area. The atmosphere is slightly unstable dueto shallow surface moisture.

Isolated thundershower developed W of Cremona around18Z moving slowly to the east. By 20Z it was thru Sundreheading towards Olds. At 21Z 0.8cm hail was reported inOlds. Storm #1 began developing S of BW around 21Zmoving ENE around 5-10kts. The storm decayed slowlyover Northern Calgary and was thru the metro areaaround 2330Z. Around 00Z a N-S line of thundershowershad formed over the foothills, which moved thru the Nrnproject area lasting until 05Z.

Max titan cell= 7.5 km, 47 max dBz, 5.8 max VIL.


HS1 was launched at 2133Z andairborne at 2154Z to patrol the YCarea. At 2215Z they found steadyinflow of 500-1000fpm and beganseeding at base with BIP. At2255Z there were no visual targetsin the area and they RTB.

Flight SummaryHS1: 2145-2319Z; 5 BIP; #1Calgary.

July 08,Wednesday

Upper low forming over eastern AB above thestrengthening surface low. Some areas of weak PVAmove through the project area during the afternoon andevening. The atmosphere is quite unstable despite someupper level warming.

Scattered showers developed throughout the western

HS1 was launched at 1820Ztowards Storm #1 and wasairborne at 1830Z. They beganbase seeding at 1834Z andcontinued seeding around the YCand Airdrie regions as the stormdeveloped over the area until



86

project area and tracked eastward beginning around 18Zwith embedded thundershowers. After 00Z there wereust areas of rain which lasted through the night.

Storm #1 developed N of Cochrane around 18Z trackingE towards north Calgary. New growth developed aroundthe southern end over the metro area from 19-20Z. By2030Z the core was thru Calgary.

Storm #2 developed as the remnants of Storm #1became more organized over Chestermere around2030Z. The storm began to diminish as it tracked thruthe Strathmore area and by 22Z had exited the projectarea.Max titan cell= 6.5 km, 49 max dBz, 5.8 max VIL.

Multiple funnel clouds were reported in the Calgary toStrathmore area during the afternoon.


1950Z when they became unableto locate steady inflow. At 2010ZHS1 RTB.

HS2 was launched at 2045Ztowards Storm #2 and wasairborne at 2059Z. They began

seeding at base at 2107Z whenthey encountered inflow aroundthe SE side of the storm. HS2continued to work the storm until2140Z when the storm was exitingthe project area at which time HS2RTB.

Flight SummaryHS1: 1824-2030Z; 13 BIP; #1CalgaryHS2: 2047-2213Z; 3 BIP; #2Strathmore

July 09,

Thursday

Upper jet pushing into northern AB from the north. A trof

is now over SK and MB giving northwesterly flow in AB. A short wave trof is cutting through the north and easternproject area along with a weak cold front. Theatmosphere is unstable only at low levels.

Mostly cloudy and cool over the area. A few showersdeveloped over the foothills around 1830Z, and driftedinto the project area. A weak thundershower movedthrough western Calgary from 20Z to 2030Z. There waswidespread RA over the foothills and southern projectarea until 07Z and then a few areas of light rain throughthe night.40 max dBz, 2.0 max VIL.


Tmax QF = 14.1C and 4.0 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 12.4C and no rain.

Public Relations: A film crew from

Veriscope Pictures, Inc. arrived atthe Red Deer airport in theafternoon, to film for NationalGeographic.

HS3 was launched at 1820Z for aPR related flight. HS3 wasairborne at 1840Z and flew thearea around Sylvan. HS3 RTB at1909Z.

HS3 was launched at 2322Z for aseeding and PR flight over thefoothills. HS3 was airborne at2341Z. HS3 seeded a

thundershower south of Limestonemountain at cloud top from 0008Zuntil 0034Z. HS3 RTB at 0036Z.

HS3 flew a short PR flight over theRed Deer airport.

Flight SummaryHS3: 1829-1923Z; no seeding; PRflight QF.HS3: 2332-0109Z; 7 EJ, 8 BIP;seeded S Limestone mountain.HS3: 0131-0154Z; no seeding; PRflight QF.

July 10, Friday Small upper jet over central AB. Trof over MB and ridgeover the Pacific gives northwesterly flow in AB. SmallPVA moves through the north project in the evening andnight. The atmosphere is slightly unstable but warming.

A few light convective radar echoes from virga in thenorthern project from 23Z to 01Z. Few scattered areas of light rain in the evening and night in the NE projectregions.38 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 22.6C and 0.2 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 20.8C and no rain.

Public Relations: VeriscopePictures continued more filming atRed Deer and then later did somefilming at the Olds-Didsbury airportradar operations center.

HS4 flew a short PR flight over theRed Deer airport.

Flight SummaryHS4: 2010-2058Z; no seeding; PRflight QF.



87


July 11,Saturday

Northwesterly flow continues over AB. Very weakvorticity across the project area during the afternoon witha weak cold sliding through. The atmosphere is warmingbut still unstable.

A few thundershowers were over the foothills during theafternoon from 20Z to 02Z, but the strongest cellsremained over the foothills. Some of the weakthundershowers drifted into west Calgary beforecompletely diminishing.41 max dBz, 2.5 max VIL.


HS2 was launched at 2242Z topatrol area W of Cochrane. At2305Z HS2 was airborne. At2315Z HS2 started to patrol areaW of Calgary. At 0018Z HS2 was

redirected to a new target NW of Cochrane. HS2 RTB at 0050Zwith all cells diminishing.

Flight SummaryHS2: 2258-0110Z; no seeding;patrol Cochrane.

July 12,Sunday

Tail of upper jet just to the east of the project area. Aridge is building along the AB and SK border, but a shortwave trof will be undercutting the ridge, moving throughthe project area. A surface low is positioned in southeast

BC, giving southerly low level winds in AB. Theatmosphere is pretty unstable with relatively high dewpoints but a fairly strong CAP.

First thundershowers formed along the foothills around20Z but moved very little and all but one had diminishedby 22Z. A few areas of light rain to very weakthundershowers moved through during the night.Storm #1 formed around 2130Z NE of Limestonemountain and slowly moved to the SE. The storm haddiminished to a thundershower by 00Z before reachingSundre.Strom #2 formed north of Nordegg at 23Z and moved SE.The storm diminished by 01Z in the north buffer.Max titan cell= 11.5 km, 52 max dBz, 14.2 max VIL.

Quarter size hail (2.5 cm) reported south of Caroline fromStorm #1.


HS4 was launched at 2120Z topatrol area W of RMH. At 2144ZHS4 was airborne. HS4 startedseeding cell N of Sundre at 2211Z.

At 2327Z HS4 stopped seedingand started patrolling area SE of Sundre. HS4 was directed to thearea NW of RMH at 2350Z. At0032Z HS4 started seeding thecell NW of RMH. At 0100Z HS4stopped seeding and RTB as theywere out of on station time.

HS2 was launched at 2145Z topatrol area SW of Calgary. At2208Z HS2 was airborne. At2218Z HS2 started patrolling over the Bragg Greek. At 2324Z HS2RTB as all cells in the southern

project area had greatlydiminished.

Flight SummaryHS4: 2130-0125Z; 23 BIP, 241min acetone generator time; #1 Nof Sundre, #2 NW of Rocky.HS2: 2156-2347Z; no seeding;patrol over Bragg Creek and S of Calgary.

July 13,Monday

Upper level low along the MT/AB border in the afternoonwith surface trof along the AB/SK border. Weak vorticityremains mostly N southern AB. Lower levels are moistwith moderate instability this afternoon.

An area of rain with embedded thundershowers began inthe morning in the SW project regions and covered mostof the southern half of the project area until 00Z. Thestrongest cells developed south of Strathmore around1830Z but moved NE out of the project area. Some morelight rain existed in the western project areas during theevening and night hours.Max titan cell= 8.5 km, 45 max dBz, 4.4 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 17.9C and 18 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 20.2C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 18.2C and no rain.




88

July 14,Tuesday

Upper level low moving into MB in the afternoon withsurface high building into the project area from the north. A weak short wave trof moves through in the afternoonwith limited mid and lower level moisture convergence.

Mostly cloudy and cool day across the area. An area of rain started in the morning over the mountains and slowly

moved through the southern project area, lasting until20Z. More areas of light rain formed over the mountainsin the afternoon and again in the evening but mostlystayed over the foothills.33 max dBz.



July 15,Wednesday

Upper level jet pushing into southern AB/SK along with aweak ridge. Lower levels remain fairly dry and stable butmid levels are more unstable. Surface high continues tobuild over the region, but a low level trof is expected todevelop along the foothills and slowly move eastward in

the afternoon.

A shower formed along the foothills west of Cremonaaround 18Z and moved SE through Calgary as a rainshower. This shower had left the city limits by 2130Z, butthen developed into a stronger storm at 2230Z east of High River and continued to the SE through Vulcan as athunderstorm.Max titan cell= 8.5 km, 45 max dBz, 7.4 max VIL.



July 16,

Thursday

Upper level ridge continues to build over western Canada

with a relatively weak jet over AB. Lower levels becomemore unstable during the afternoon.

The first shower formed along the foothills to the west of Cremona after 1730Z. By 20Z, more scattered weakthundershowers had formed across the project area. Astronger cell developed N of Sundre at 2030Z thendiminished by 22Z near Olds with pea size hail observedto the NW of Olds. Scattered thundershowers remainedacross the project until 0830Z.Storm #1 formed on the NE side of Calgary city limitsaround 01Z as a heavy rain shower, and then increasedin strength to a bigger storm around 0130Z. A funnelcloud was reported by HS4 at 0215Z. The storm haddiminished by 0245Z south of Strathmore.



HS2 was launched at 2111Z and

was airborne at 2122Z. HS2patrolled around Olds until 2149Zwhen HS2 was directed to somegrowing clouds near Calgary. HS2found no more growing Cu andRTB at 2229Z.

HS4 was launched at 2356Z. HS4was airborne at 0012Z. HS4 foundno growing cells and patrolledwest of Red Deer until 0031Zwhen HS4 was directed toshowers near Rocky. HS4 wasdirected to the developing stormeast of Calgary at 0128Z. HS4

started seeding storm #1 W of Strathmore at 0206Z. HS4stopped seeding storm #1 at0234Z, as the storm was leavingthe area. HS4 RTB at 0257Z withno more convective clouds.

Flight SummaryHS2: 2115-2251Z; no seeding;patrol Olds and N Cochrane.HS4: 0002-0306Z; 8 BIP; patrolQF to Rocky, #1 W Strathmore.



89

July 17, Friday Ridge axis moving into central AB throughout the daywith an upper level jet over the project area. Fairly highsurface temperature and dew points around the arearesulting in some instability in the atmosphere, but thereis a strong CAP over the project area.

A few showers starting developing along the foothills

after 20Z, but most diminished within 30 min as theydrifted into the stronger CAPPED area. One cell lastedlonger, which started north of Limestone mountain at2130Z. By 23Z a big anvil cloud from this cell stretchedacross the central project area, and then thethundershower core diminished by 01Z north of Sundre.Overnight, a chinook arch cloud formed over the projectarea.Max titan cell= 6.5 km, 44 max dBz, 3.8 max VIL.



July 18,

Saturday

Surface low and trof developing along the foothills ahead

of an upper low moving into BC. Upper jet nosing intosouthern AB along with modest mid level vorticity. Hightemperature and dew points again but the area remainsCAPPED and fairly stable.

Very nice and warm afternoon across the project area. Acold front moved through the northern half of the projectarea in the evening after 0230Z but only produced verylight rain from stratus clouds except for some better development east of Red Deer around 04Z. The coldfront and clouds had left the area by 06Z.40 max dBz.

Big storms developed in the afternoon to the north of theproject area, with toonie size hail. Later in the evening,

another storm moved through Edmonton with strongwinds causing lots of downed trees, leaving many areaswithout electricity, and other storm damage.



July 19, Sunday Low-pressure trough has passed AB and now it islocated over SK. High-pressure ridge is building over BC. Surface Low-pressure center is located to the S of the project area. Jet PVA core is crossing the Southernpart of AB from the NW to the SE. The atmosphere isslightly unstable and humid.

The first shower started in the NW project area around17Z and moved southeastward. By 19Z, three bands of thundershowers had developed in the central project andthen merged into one cluster by 21Z north of Calgary.Storm #1 developed N of Cochrane around 20Z andmoved into north Calgary by 2115Z as a thundershower.By 2130Z, storm #1 increased into a bigger thunderstormover NE Calgary and then continued tracking SE toCarseland and out of the project area by 2235Z. Another storm developed east of High River after 00Zand moved SE out of the project area.Dime size hail (1.8 cm) was reported near Strathmoreand quarter size hail (2.5 cm) was reported N of Vulcan

HS2 was launched at 2026Z. HS2was airborne at 2023Z. HS2started seeding storm #1 north of Calgary at 2036Z. HS2 continuedseeding storm #1 as it movedthrough NE Calgary and tracked tothe SE. HS2 stopped seeding

storm #1 at 2230Z as the stormwas south of Strathmore andleaving the area. HS2 patrolledSW of Calgary until RTB at 2323Zwith the last cell icing out north of Okotoks.

Flight SummaryHS2: 2017-2339Z; 21 BIP, 118 minacetone generator time; #1 NCalgary to S Strathmore.



90

from storm #1.Max titan cell: 8.5 km, 49 max dBz, 6.9 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 21.1C and 2.2 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 22.9 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 21.2 C and no rain.

July 20,Monday High-pressure ridge is approaching the project area fromthe West and now its axis is located over the border between AB and BC. Surface High-pressure center islocated over BC. Jet PVA core remains located over theSouthern parts of AB and SK. The atmosphere is slightlyunstable.

Really nice day across the area with no rain in the projector even over the foothills. Many fair weather cumulusclouds developed over most of south and central ABduring the afternoon with a few TCU.

Tmax YC =22.5 C and no rain.Tmax QF =22.6 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 21.6 C and no rain.


July 21,Tuesday

High-pressure ridge is located over AB. Surface High-pressure center has formed over the project area. Shortwave Low-pressure trough is approaching to the Northernpart of AB from the West. The atmosphere is slightlyunstable and humid with significant cap on the low level.

Beautiful sunny day across the area. Very few clouds,only a trace of Ac, Ci, and Cu.

Tmax YC = 25.8 C and no rain.Tmax QF = 26.5 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 25.8 C and no rain.

HS1 flew a series of test andtraining flights. HS1 first flew fromYC to QF. Then HS1 flew from QFto Olds and lastly flew from Olds toYC.

Flight SummaryHS1: 1718-1800Z; no seeding; testYC to QF.HS1: 1940-2005Z; no seeding; testQF to Olds.HS1: 2036-2114Z; no seeding; testOlds to YC.

July 22,

Wednesday

High-pressure ridge remains located over BC and AB.

Surface High-pressure center is located over theSouthern border of AB. Jet PVA core is crossing theNorthern part of the region from the NW to the SE. Theatmosphere is slightly unstable and humid with significantcap on the low level.

Another beautiful but hot day across the area with hazyconditions mostly from smoke blowing into AB from theforest fires near Kelowna, BC. A west to east orientatedcold front dipped into the northern buffer during theevening forming a few weak thundershowers from 03Zuntil 10Z.Max titan cell= 6.5 km, 45 max dBz, 5.7 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 30.6 C and no rain.

Tmax QF = 30.9 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 29.8 C and no rain.

Public Relations: HS1 flew from

Calgary to Airdrie for the Airdrie Air Show. This proved to be verygood for public relations as manyspectators were interested in theairplane and the hail suppressionproject.

Flight SummaryHS1: 1548-1612Z; no seeding; PRYC to Airdrie.HS1: 0448-0516Z; no seeding; PR Airdrie to YC.

July 23,Thursday

High-pressure ridge is located over AB. Low-pressuretrough is approaching to the project area from the SW.Surface High-pressure center remains located over theSouthern part of AB. Jet PVA core is located over theNorthern part of AB province. The atmosphere is slightlyunstable and humid.

Thunderstorms formed over the foothills beginningaround 21Z but with weak wind flow all storms diminishedto just mostly light rain before entering into the project




91

area. The rain lasted until 03Z and then another short-lived band of rain developed in the southern projectaround 06Z. A few lightning strikes detected in thesouthern project area.22 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 26.8 C and no rain.

Tmax QF = 28.4 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 27.3 C and no rain.

July 24, Friday High-pressure ridge remains located over AB. Low-pressure trough is approaching to the project area fromthe SW. Jet PVA core is crossing the Northern parts of BC and AB from the West to the East. The atmosphereis slightly unstable and humid with the weak cap on thelow level.

Very light rain showers in the morning in the SW corner of the project area from 15Z to 17Z. Otherwise, it wasanother beautiful sunny but hot day across the project. An area of rain formed in the west buffer south of Canmore during the late afternoon.

29 max dBz.


HS3 and HS4 both flew short testflights in the Red Deer area.

Flight SummaryHS3: 1904-1946Z; no seeding; testQF.HS4: 1911-2055Z; no seeding; testQF.

July 25,Saturday

Broad ridge over western Canada with closed lowlingering over eastern Washington. Upper jet over northern AB. Weak west of east orientated cold frontmoving into the northern project during the night hours.The atmosphere is unstable but very warm and has weakwind flow.

Another sunny and hot afternoon with few clouds. Firstthundershower formed in the southern project around

07Z with more rain with embedded thundershowersmoving into the south by 0830Z. This area of rain thenmoved into the eastern project area by 10Z. In the north,many short-lived thundershowers formed in the northbuffer beginning around 08Z, with the most intense cellnorth of Rocky. This line of thundershowers slowlymoved south towards Red Deer, and then diminished toust light rain by 11Z.




July 26, Sunday Ridge remains over BC and AB. Closed low is slowly

moving towards the SE, centered over the ID panhandle.Upper jet well to the north and east of the project area. Aweak cold front is making its way through the project areafrom north to south. The atmosphere is unstable butwarming in late afternoon.

Cloudy with some areas of rain in the morning and then aline of thundershowers developed in the Calgary area justbefore 16Z. This line moved out of the project area to theeast by 19Z, and then from 20Z to 0230Z there werescattered showers and thundershowers in the westernproject regions.Max titan cell= 5.5 km, 47 max dBz, 4.6 max VIL.




92

Tmax YC = 24.2C and 0.8 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 24.9C and a trace of rain.Tmax Radar = 23.6C and no rain.

July 27,Monday

Ridge axis remains along the BC coast, but the influenceis weakening in AB as northwesterly flow is increasing

over the province. Surface high pressure is over southern AB. The atmosphere is only slightly unstabledespite cooling aloft.

Thundershowers over the mountains from 21Z until 06Zwhile the project area had only partly cloudy skies. Anarea of rain with some lightning moved into the Calgaryarea from the NW around 0430Z and then out of thesouthern project by 07Z. More rain moved into the northafter 0930Z and moved southward through the projectduring the night.46 max dBz, 3.2 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 25.8C and 1.0 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 26.2C and no rain.



July 28,Tuesday

Ridge axis still along the BC coast, but the ridge is notinfluencing AB much today. North to south upper jetdirectly over AB giving strong northerly wind flow in theproject area. The atmosphere is unstable and cooling.

Light rain in the morning lasted until 17Z. After 1730Z,many scattered showers developed across the projectand slowly moved from the north to the south. Thesescattered showers had mostly ended by 02Z. Another area of rain moved through the project from north tosouth between 03Z and 12Z overnight.42 max dBz, 2.0 max VIL.


HS1 flew a test flight in the areabetween Cochrane and Cremona.

Flight SummaryHS1: 2030-2135Z; no seeding; testN Cochrane.

July 29,Wednesday

Northerly wind flow continues over AB with the strongridge remaining along the BC coast. Upper jet locatedover NE AB. Surface high pressure over central andsouthern AB. The atmosphere is slightly unstable at lowlevels only.

Showers over the foothills west of Calgary and southfrom 1630Z until 2230Z, but no rain in the project area.There were some weak radar echoes from virga in the far southern project in the mid afternoon. Many Cu and TCUover the project area.

20 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 21.4C and 4.4 mm of rain from early morning.Tmax QF = 24.8C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 22.0C and no rain.


July 30,Thursday

Upper jet positioned over AB. A series of short wavetrofs embedded within the northerly flow will movethrough the project during the afternoon. Also a coldfront will move through from the north to the south. Theatmosphere could become very unstable if upper coolingoccurs with frontal passage.




93

Thundershowers formed over the foothills after 20Z andthen drifted into the Calgary area after 2130Z. The coldfront with a band of rain and some lightning entered thenorthern project area around 2230Z. Widespread raincovered almost all the project area from 00Z until 02Z,and then the rain moved out of the area to the south by06Z.

From the frontal passage there was a 35 knot wind gustat QF and 40 knot wind gust at the radar.41 max dBz, 2.6 max VIL.


July 31, Friday Upper jet has slid to the east and now over SK. Thestationary ridge over BC is now building into AB againwith surface high pressure just to the south of AB. Theatmosphere is mostly stable from warming and is alsodrying.

Stratus cloud deck over the north and central project area

in the morning, mostly breaking up just before noon. Afew TCU in the southern project in the late morning andthen just fair weather Cu during the very nice andpleasant afternoon and evening.



August 01,Saturday

Upper level closed low weakening over southern BC as itmoves closer to AB. Short wave trof slides through thearea this evening and overnight while a cold front movedsouthward through AB. The lower levels of theatmosphere are very moist with increasing instability.

Scattered thundershowers formed across the projectarea beginning around 21Z. A stronger cell movedthrough Didsbury around 2240Z. The approaching coldfront moved into the northern project around 23Z with aline of thunderstorms and moved SE through the project.The most intense cell on the line moved through SylvanLake and south Red Deer. This line of cells had left theproject area to the east shortly after 01Z. Another thunder-shower formed on the NE side of Calgary around0030Z. This cell strengthened into a bigger storm rightover Strathmore at 0130Z. Areas of rain with embeddedthunder remained in the project until 04Z.Pea to grape size hail (1.6 cm) was reported around RedDeer.Max titan cell= 12.5 km, 51 max dBz, 13.1 max VIL.

The cold front also created very intense storms to thenorth of the project area. Wind gusts up to 100 km/hr were reported along with golf ball sized hail in StonyPlain. The front moved though Calgary around 02Z, with42 kt wind gusts.

Tmax YC = 31.7C and a trace of rain.Tmax QF = 31.3C and 11.4 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 29.2C and 7.8 mm of rain.

HS3 was launched at 2234Z topatrol area W of Didsbury. At2302Z HS3 was airborne. At2321Z HS3 reported no seedingconditions and was redirected toRMH area. At 0003Z HS3 started

cloud base seeding the line of theTitan cells NW of Sylwan Lake. At0056Z HS3 stopped seeding andstarted to patrol area SE of RedDeer. At 0105Z HS3 RTB as thestorms were leaving the projectarea but in order to return to QF,HS3 had to fly around the stormsgoing all the way to Calgary andthen back north on the west side of the line of cells.

HS1 was launched at 0024Z topatrol area N of Calgary. At 0045ZHS1 was airborne and started to

patrol area N of Strathmore. At0208Z HS1 RTB.

Flight SummaryHS3: 2248-0206Z; 15 BIP, #1Sylwan Lake to Red Deer, #2Innisfail.HS1: 0030-0230Z, patrol N of Strathmore.

August 02,Sunday

Mid and upper level ridge is diminishing over AB withincreasing NW flow. Surface boundary shifting south

HS4 was launched at 2203Z topatrol area N of Sundre. At 2226Z



94

through the project over the afternoon and evening alongwith a developing trof near the foothills. Moisture ismoving into the mid and low levels producing a quiteunstable atmosphere.

The first thunderstorm formed south of Rocky around2130Z and moved southeast through Innisfail by 2330Z.

A second storm formed northwest of Rocky after 23Z, buthad diminished to a weak thundershower before reachingQF at 01Z. Scattered thundershowers then developedacross the northern project area during the evening.

The third storm of the day had developed west of DraytonValley in the late evening and moved SSE entering thenorthern project area shortly after 05Z. This very severestorm quickly moved SSE through the entire project area.The storm was propagating at speeds between 75 and85 km/hr, passing Sundre around 0655Z, Carstairs at0730Z, the NE corner of Calgary at 0755Z, and then outof the project area south of Strathmore at 0830Z.

This storm produced lots of damage across the project

area, mostly due to the 100 km/hr wind gusts.Environment Canada did receive a report of baseball-sized hail near Rocky Mountain House.Max titan cell= 12.5 km, 55 max dBz, 15.7 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 28.1C and no rain.Tmax QF = 26.5C and 3.8 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 25.1C and 21 mm of rain.

HS4 was airborne. At 2245Z HS4started cloud base seeding storm#1 NW of Innisfail. At 2328Z HS4stopped seeding storm #1 and wasdirected to the area S of RMH. At0045Z HS4 started cloud baseseeding storm #2 W of Sylvan

Lake. At 0054Z HS4 stoppedseeding storm #2 and RTB.

HS3 was launched at 0555Z tostorm #3 over RMH. At 0618ZHS3 was airborne. At 0641Z HS3started seeding storm #3, a line of Titan cells N of Sundre. HS3continued seeding storm #3 as itmoved SSE through the projectarea until 0838Z when HS3stopped seeding S of Strathmoreand RTB.

HS2 was launched at 0722Z to

storm #3 approaching Airdrie. At0736Z HS3 was airborne. At0739Z HS2 started cloud baseseeding the eastern cell of thestorm #3 cluster. At 0838Z HS2stopped seeding S of Strathmoreand RTB.

Flight SummaryHS4: 2200-0104Z; 11 BIP, 97 minacetone generator time; #1Innisfail, #2 RMH.HS3: 0605-0937Z; 97 EJT, 17 BIP,#3 Sundre-Strathmore.HS2: 0727-0928Z; 9 BIP, 122 min

acetone generator time; #3 Airdrie-Strathmore.

August 03,Monday

Upper level jet moving over central AB with a trof developing through northern AB to southern BC. Surfacelow near the southeast BC corner. The atmosphere issaturated and slightly unstable in the southern projectareas.

A thunderstorm formed over the mountains west of HighRiver after 2030Z, but moved SE away from the projectarea. Scattered, weak thundershowers developedacross the project beginning around 2330Z, and thenweakening to more areas of light rain with a few strokesof lightning by 03Z.

44 max dBz, 4.5 max VIL.



August 04,Tuesday

Upper low moving through northern SK and MB with trof extending to the west. Upper level jet tail end near Calgary and PVA in southern AB today. Nearlystationary surface low over SE corner of BC.

Mostly cloudy and cool day. Widespread area of rainover the southern half of the project area in the morning




95

and then moved southward with rain only in the far southern project regions in the afternoon. Overnight,more rain developed in the southern and central projectthen moved into the northern project area.37 max dBz.


Tmax QF = 13.5C and 9.4 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 11.5C and 1.6 mm of rain.

August 05,Wednesday

Main upper level trof digging through AB and BC with aweak short wave trof moving through southern AB.Surface high moving into SK while surface low isweakening over eastern WA. The atmosphere is stablewith mid level moisture advecting into the area.

Another cloudy and cool day. Light rain in the northernproject in the morning with light drizzle across the rest of the project as the lower atmosphere was completelysaturated. The light rain ended by 22Z but more bandsof rain with embedded thunder and lightning movedthrough during the evening and night hours.

35 max dBz.


Public Relations: CTV Calgaryfilmed Lead Pilot Bob Gorman atthe Calgary airport discussing therecent storm activity.


August 06,Thursday

Low-pressure trough is located over AB. Surface High-pressure center has formed over BC. Positive vorticitymaximum is located over the northern part of the projectarea. Jet PVA core is crossing SK and MB from the NWto the SE. The atmosphere is slightly unstable andhumid.

Cloudy and cool conditions continued in the morning witha few showers in the northern and eastern project

regions lasting until 1730Z. In the afternoon, dryer air moved in from the NW resulting in slowly clearing skies.35 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 16.0 C and 3.0 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 17.9 C and 0.2 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 16.8 C and 1.0 mm rain.

Public Relations: CHCA Newsfrom Red Deer conducted a phoneinterview of Chief MeteorologistJason Goehring regarding therecent storm activity.


August 07,Friday

Low-pressure trough has moved to the east and now it islocated over SK. High-pressure ridge has formed over BC and AB. The atmosphere is slightly unstable andhumid in the low levels.

Mostly sunny and nice day across the project area.Scattered fair weather Cu developed during the afternoon

with a few Ac and Ci clouds.



August 08,Saturday

High-pressure ridge is located over AB and SK. SurfaceHigh-pressure center remains located over the projectarea. Jet PVA core is approaching to the project areafrom the west. The atmosphere is slightly unstable with asmall cap at the 700 mb level.

Sunny and nice afternoon across the project area.




96

Thundershowers formed over the foothills during theafternoon but had diminished into light rain beforemoving into the NW project regions. More areas of lightrain moved through the north and central projectovernight.38 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 22.9 C and no rain.Tmax QF = 24.1 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 23.4 C and trace of rain.

August 09,Sunday

Surface Low-pressure center has formed SW of Alberta.Low level Low-pressure trough is located over the projectarea. Jet PVA core is approaching towards Alberta fromthe west. The atmosphere is unstable and humid.

Thunderstorms developed over the foothills beginningaround 19Z but most diminished before moving into theproject area. The one which continued through theproject area began forming W of Cremona around 20Z. At 22Z the storm was just past Cremona and had beguntracking ESE towards Airdrie. The storm moved out of

the project area north of Strathmore around 01Z.Max titan cell= 10.5 km, 51 max dBz, 12.2 max VIL.

Environment Canada reported nickel (2.2 cm) to quarter (2.5 cm) sized hail east of Airdrie.

Tmax YC = 24.2 C and no rain.Tmax QF = 24.4 C and 0.2 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 22.6 C and 2.4 mm of rain.

HS4 was launched at 2122Ztowards storm #1 and wasairborne at 2135Z. At 2205Z HS4began seeding at base along the Eside of the storm, about 10nm ESEof Cremona. HS4 continuedseeding until 2331Z and RTB toQF as they were out of on-stationtime.

HS1 was launched at 2237Z and

was airborne at 2302Z. HS1 beganseeding storm #1 at cloud top at2316Z near Airdrie. HS1 stoppedseeding storm #1 at 0100Z andRTB as the storm was leaving theproject area.

HS2 was launched at 0024Ztowards storm #1 as it was nearingStrathmore and was airborne at0042Z. HS2 found no suitableconditions on the storm. At 0100Zthey were redirected to patrol theW buffer zone for any newdevelopment. At 0131Z HS2 RTB

with no new growth in the area.

Flight SummaryHS4: 2130-0025Z; 18 BIP, 170min acetone generator time; #1Cremona-Airdrie.HS1: 2250-0120Z; 191 EJ, 4 BIP;#1 Airdrie-Strathmore.HS2: 0034-0204Z; no seeding;patrol E Calgary, patrol NCochrane.

August 10,Monday

Weak short wave Low-pressure trough has formed over the Northern part of the project area. Strong Jet PVAcore is located over AB province. The atmosphere is

slightly unstable and humid with a small cap at 700 mblevel.

A Chinook cloud formed over the project area providing anice afternoon and evening. Light rain developed in thenorth project around 09Z and then in the west around 12Zrunning from Banff to the NE through Ponoka by Tuesdaymorning.30 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 25.2 C and no rain.Tmax QF = 26.0 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 25.0 C and trace of rain.




97

August 11,Tuesday

Surface Low-pressure center has formed over the projectarea. Cold front is crossing the Southern part of Albertafrom the SW to the NE and slowly moving to the east.Jet PVA core is located over AB and SK. Theatmosphere is unstable and humid.

Cloudy with rain in the morning and had moved out of thearea to the east by 2230Z. At 23Z, Storm #1 developednorth of the NW corner of the project area. Around 00Z,the storm entered the north buffer NE of Rocky. At0142Z, the storm was just south of Lacombe. By 0230Zthe storm had moved out of the project area.Max titan cell= 10.5 km, 51 max dBz, 14.0 max VIL.

Jim Renick reported golf ball sized hail at the DOW plantSE of Lacombe. Environment Canada reported looniesize hail (2.7 cm).


HS4 was launched at 0105Z andwas airborne at 0124Z. HS4began seeding Storm #1 at 0133Z just N of Sylvan Lake andcontinued seeding until 0216Zwhen the storm had passed E of

QE2. HS4 was then redirected tothe W to patrol an area of showersdeveloping to the W of Sylvan. At0307Z they RTB as the showerswere iced out.

Flight SummaryHS4: 0113-0324Z; 10 BIP, 86 minacetone generator time; #1Lacombe.

August 12,Wednesday

Wide upper jet over southern portions of westernCanada. Upper low along the northern AB/SK border isweakening trof over BC is pushing into the area. A coldfront is moving through the project area in the lateafternoon. The atmosphere is cooling and unstable.

First showers formed in the NW project area just before18Z. More areas of rain and weak thundershowersdeveloped in the northwest and southern project regionsafter 1930Z. Scattered thundershowers remained until0330Z with the areas of rain ending by 09Z. Pea sizehail reported east of Olds.Max titan cell= 8.5 km, 46 max dBz, 5.5 max VIL.



August 13,Thursday

Upper jet has now pushed off to the east of the projectarea. Closed low is along the BC/WA border with PVAmoving through the project area. Surface high pressurecentered in northern AB helping create northeasterly,upslope flow in the southern AB. The atmosphere is onlyslightly unstable and saturated.

Cloudy and cool day. A few areas of rain around thenorth and central project area in the morning with morerain moving into southern project area after 2030Z. Thisrain area increased in coverage during the late afternoon

and was widespread by 01Z and then lasted through thenight.31 max dBz.



August 14,Friday

Tail end of upper jet to the just to the east of the area.Strong low centered over the northern ID panhandle andspinning PVA and moisture up into AB. Surface high incentral AB with continued low level northeasterly,upslope flow. The atmosphere is saturated and only

Public Relations: 3 individualsfrom AXA insurance visited theOlds radar site and spent timetalking with the meteorologists,learning about the cloud seeding



98

slightly unstable.

Another cloudy and cool day. Areas of rain and drizzle inthe morning ended by mid afternoon, with some weakthundershowers near Vulcan in the east buffer in theearly afternoon. More rain moved into the project fromthe east during the evening and lasted through the night.

The mountains received some snowfall from this coldsystem.37 max dBz.


project. Thick, low cloud cover over the area prevented anairplane from landing at the Olds-Didsbury airport for the insurancegroup tour.


August 15,Saturday

North to south orientated jet along the BC/AB border.The strong low is positioned over SE AB with a ridgealong the BC coast. Slight upslope flow continues on thebackside of the low along with some weak PVAS in theproject area. The atmosphere is slightly unstable at lowlevels.

Thick cloud coverage in the east and southern projectregions for the morning and most of the afternoon withassociated light rain ending in the project area by 20Z.Scattered showers formed over the foothills beginningafter 21Z and some moved into the western project areaduring the evening hours.36 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 13.8C and 5.0 mm of rain.Tmax QF = 16.4C and 1.4 mm of rain.Tmax Radar = 15.1C and no rain.


August 16,Sunday

North to south upper jet is positioned just to the west of the project area. Closed low is over southeast SK withweak short wave trofs passing through the project during

the afternoon. The atmosphere is warming but still slightunstable.

Light rain in the southern project in the morning.Numerous, scattered, short-lived thundershowersdeveloped across the project area from 1730Z until0130Z.44 max dBz, 2.7 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 17.8C and a trace rain.Tmax QF = 18.5C and a trace rain.Tmax Radar = 17.1C and 0.4 mm of rain.

HS3 patrol flight over Olds.

Flight Summary

HS3: 1846-2001Z; no seeding;patrol Olds.

August 17,Monday

Strong upper level jet over northern BC has flattened theridge, with surface Low over southern MB and NW flow

over AB. Several s/w trofs moving thru the project areatoday. Lower levels are unstable with subsidence around23kft.

Mix of mid and upper level clouds during the afternoon,evening and lingering overnight. A band of light rain andvirga developed around sunrise in the northeasternproject region.26 max dBz.





99

August 18,Tuesday

Strong, 100+kt jet over AB thru the period, along withmoderate PVA around northern and eastern AB. SurfaceLow dropping into central/southern SK today with weakcold front trailing thru the project area. Atmosphere isfairly unstable thru the evening hours.

Thunderstorms in the Northern and central project areasduring the afternoon, then a 2nd

wave of storms movedthru the W-central and southern areas during theevening. Scattered light showers overnight, mainly in theS and NE project areas.

Storm #1 formed in the northern buffer area near Rockyand began tracking towards Sylvan Lake by 20Z. Thestorm was over Innisfail at 2030Z and continued headingSE out of the project area by 22Z, south of Three Hills.2.0 cm hail was reported in Innisfail.Max titan cell= 8.5 km, 53 max dBz, 9.0 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 25.0C and 3.6 mm rainTmax QF = 22.6C and no rain.

Tmax Radar = 22.9C and 0.3 mm rain.

HS4 was launched at 2009Z to NWof Innisfail. At 2025Z HS4 wasairborne. At 2035Z HS4 startedcloud base seeding storm #1 over Innisfail. At 2100Z HS4 stoppedseeding and started patrolling area

SE of Innisfail. At 2128Z HS4RTB.

Flight SummaryHS4: 2016-2145Z, 7 BIP, 56 minacetone generator time; #1Innisfail.

August 19,Wednesday

Ridge building over BC today moving into AB tonight withsurface High Pressure over the Rockies. Atmosphere isdry and stable with NVA into the project area thru theperiod.

Very nice day with Sc, Ac, Cu, and Ci clouds during theafternoon, diminishing by sunset.


Public Relations: A group of 11individuals from AXA insurancevisited the Olds radar site andspent time talking with pilots andmeteorologists, learning about thecloud seeding project. All had agood time!

HS2 flew from YC to Olds and HS3flew from QF to Olds for the AXAinsurance visit to the radar site.

Flight Summary

HS3: 1659-1732Z; no seeding; QFto Olds.HS2: 1758-1850Z; no seeding; YCto Olds.HS3: 2141-2202Z; no seeding;Olds to QF.HS2: 2146-2217Z; no seeding;Olds to YC.

August 20,Thursday

Upper level ridge moving thru AB today with surface Highpressure moving into SK. Mid levels remain warm, withsome cold air advection into the project area beginningovernight but the atmosphere is stable thru the period.

Another nice day, except a little breezy, across the

project with only a few Cu and Ci clouds.



August 21,Friday

Upper level trof developing over BC with surface Low-pressure system moving thru AB. Some PVA into theproject area late this afternoon. The atmosphere is veryunstable in the north.

Around 0130Z, thundershowers began moving into theNW project and continued moving thru the northern

HS4 was launched at 0303Ztowards storm #1, and wasairborne at 0316Z. HS4 beganbase seeding at 0324Z near Sylvan Lake. HS4 stoppedseeding storm #1 at 0340Z andimmediately started seeding storm



100

project area until 07Z. Overnight, more thunderstormsdeveloped in western B.C. but were not sustained pastthe Banff area.

Storm #1 developed near Caroline shortly after 02Z. Thestorm moved eastward, reaching the Sylvan Lake areaust after 03Z. The storm diminished over northeast of

Red Deer by 0330Z.

Storm #2 developed southeast of Caroline around 0230Z,to the south of Storm #1. The storm passed thru the RedDeer airport around 04Z, then just passing south of RedDeer city limits. By 05Z, the storm was out of the projectarea.

Storm #3 developed around 0430Z near Cremona butdiminished as it moved thru the Didsbury area around05Z.

Barry Robinson reported nickel size (2.2 cm) hail atPenhold from storm #2. Environment Canada reportedquarter to golf ball size hail from storm #2.

Max titan cell= 12.5km, 53 max dBz, 14.2 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 30.9C and no rain.Tmax QF = 27.2C and 12.4 mmTmax Radar = 26.8C and 1.6 mm

#2 just to the south near QF. (HS4seeded storm #2 with acetonegenerators due to a mechanicalproblem with the BIP control boxswitch.) HS4 stopped seedingstorm #2 at 0428Z as the stormwas past Red Deer. HS4 started

seeding storm #3 at 0458Z near Didsbury. HS4 stopped seedingstorm #3 at 0510Z and RTB, asthe storm had diminished.

Flight SummaryHS4: 0303-0535Z, 158 minacetone generator time; Storm #1Sylvan Lake, #2 QF, #3 Didsbury.

August 22,Saturday

Upper level Low over BC with broad trof over BC and ABwith jet max nosing into the western project area. Theatmosphere is cooling, with some moisture lingering thruthe mid levels. Soundings show more stability in thesouth and slightly unstable in the north.

Clear skies thru the afternoon with only some Ci and veryfew CU. Mid and upper level clouds forming overnight.



August 23,Sunday

Closed low moving through northern AB with mid andupper level trof axis rotating through the project. Upper et max over southern AB with strong vorticity max in the

northern project. Cold air advection continues and theatmosphere is fairly unstable.

Thick cloud cover in the northern project area kepttemperatures much lower than the southern project area. A cold front moved through from north to south creatingscattered showers to thundershowers behind the front.The first showers formed in the NW project around 20Z,

then in the central regions by 22Z and the south after 23Z, all ending by 01Z.Max titan cell= 7.5 km, 48 max dBz, 4.9 max VIL.



August 24,Monday

High-pressure ridge has formed over BC and AB. Theridges axis is located over the border between BC and AB and moving slowly to the east. Surface High-pressure center is located over the project area. Theatmosphere is stable and dry.




101

Very nice day with hardly any clouds in the sky.

Tmax YC = 22.2 C and no rain.Tmax QF = 22.1 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 22.2C and no rain.

August 25,Tuesday High-pressure ridge continues to move to the east. Theridges axis is located over SK. Weak short wave troughis approaching the project area from the NW. SurfaceLow-pressure center is located over the southern part of AB. The atmosphere is unstable but sufficiently dry.

Nice afternoon under a Chinook arc cloud. A band of light rain developed around 03Z in the northwest projectarea and lingered until 0530Z.22 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 27.0 C and no rain.Tmax QF = 24.8 C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 26.1C and no rain.


August 26,Wednesday

High-pressure ridge is located over SK. Low-pressuretrough has formed over the western part of AB. SurfaceHigh-pressure center is approaching the project areafrom the west. The atmosphere is unstable over thenorthern project area.

Showers started developing around Limestone mountainafter 22Z. Most diminished within a half hour over thefoothills but a few moved into the far western project areabefore diminishing completely.42 max dBz, 3.4 max VIL.



August 27,Thursday

Strong High-pressure ridge has formed over BC and AB.The ridges axis is located over the border between BCand AB and moving to the east slowly. Surface High-pressure center remains located west of the project area.The atmosphere is stable.

Sunny and nice day with very few clouds. Only cloudsreported were Cu, Ac and Ci.



August 28,

Friday

High-pressure ridge still moving to the east over the

western part of Canada. The ridge’s axis is located over the border between AB and SK. Surface High-pressurecenter remains located over the project area. Theatmosphere is stable and dry.

Another nice day with only a few Ac, Cu and Ci cloudsreported. Very hazy and smoky across the area fromforest fires.





102

August 29,Saturday

High-pressure ridge is located over the western part of Canada. Surface High-pressure center remains locatedover the project area. The atmosphere is unstable butvery dry with a strong cap at the low level.

Third beautiful day in a row with only Ci and Ac clouds.



August 30,Sunday

Upper jet is well to the north of the project area. High-pressure ridge still in place over western Canada. WeakPVA is in southern AB, but the atmosphere is stable, verydry and strongly Capped.

Another very nice day with only Ac, As, and Ci clouds.



August 30,Monday

Broad ridge still in place over western Canada, but theaxis is slowly drifting eastward. The atmosphere isslightly unstable, but strongly Capped.

Another nice and warm day across the area. Ac, Ci, Sc,and Cu clouds reported.



September 01,Tuesday

Ridge axis has re-developed over AB. Surface highpressure located to the NW of the project. Theatmosphere is unstable but still Capped in the projectarea.

Another nice, sunny day in the project area with Ac, Ci,Sc and Cu clouds. Meanwhile, big thunderstorms existedover the mountains from 2030Z until 0530Z, but did notmove into the project area due to the Cap and weak windflow.


HS1 and HS2 both flew test flightsfrom YC to QF in the morning andthen returned to YC in theafternoon.

Flight SummaryHS1: 1651-1738Z; no seeding; testYC to QF.HS2: 1728-1800Z; no seeding; testYC to QF.HS1: 1921-2005Z; no seeding; testQF to YC.HS2: 1924-2023Z; no seeding; testQF to YC.

September 02,Wednesday

Broad ridge over the Canadian prairies but a short wavetrof is cutting through the ridge in central AB. Theatmosphere is unstable, but warm and fairly dry.

Another nice day again across the project with Ac, Ci, Cuand Cf clouds reported. One little shower formed near Limestone mountain at 1945Z and moved into the projectarea before diminishing completely at 2020Z.21 max dBz.


HS3 and HS4 both flew short testflights near QF.

Flight SummaryHS4: 1819-1905Z; no seeding; testQF.HS3: 1827-1915Z; no seeding; testQF.

September 03,Thursday

Upper low in southeast BC moving through the projectarea during the evening hours. Strong PVA ahead of the




103

low moving through during the afternoon along with a coldfront. The atmosphere is unstable but slightly Capped.

Strong, gusty winds started in the project area around1930Z and lasted until 01Z, kicking up lots of dust in openareas. A band of rain moved across the mountains fromBC and entered the project area around 22Z. There was

some lightning within the rain band in the northern projectarea and then had moved out by 0030Z. Scattered areasof light rain remained until 04Z and then some more rainmoved through the northern project from 08Z to 14Z.40 max dBz, 2.7 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 30.2C and a trace of rain.Tmax QF = 30.6C and a trace of rain.Tmax Radar = 30.0C and a trace of rain.

September 04,Friday

Closed low in central SK, cutting through the broad ridgepattern over the Canadian prairies. Some PVA lingersover the northern project through the afternoon. Theatmosphere is stable with a cap and high-pressuresubsidence around 12 kft.

Isolated area of virga to light rain in the NW around 21Z,then Ci, Cu and Ac clouds the rest of the afternoon,diminishing during the evening.17 max dBz.



September 05,Saturday

Deep closed Low off Canadian and US West coastmoving into SW BC. Mid level moisture advection thisafternoon but the lower levels remain dry. Strong PVAinto the project area ahead of the Low moving thru B.C. Atmosphere is stable thru the lower and mid levels with a

strong cap diminishing slightly overnight.

Breezy and mostly cloudy afternoon. Virga from stratuscloud deck in the southern project began around 00Z withlight rain starting after 02Z and then diminished duringthe night hours.25 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 23.2C and a trace of rain.Tmax QF = 23.2C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 21.9C and no rain.


September 06,Sunday

Low-pressure system moving thru BC, with SFC Low andtrof over the project area this afternoon. Strong PVA thruthe project area this afternoon and evening, but right-exit

region of the upper jet is near the project area as well.The atmosphere is mostly stable with a stronger cap inthe south project.

Isolated, weak thundershower near QF and Innisfail until~20Z, then mostly to partly cloudy the remainder of theday. Brief clearing overnight, then light rain and virgadeveloping in the northern and central project areaaround sunrise.45 max dBz, 2.3 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 22.0C and no rain.Tmax QF = 21.7C and 0.4 mm




104


September 07,Monday

Upper Low moving through Northern AB with upper levelet to the south and east of the project. Weak PVA along

the foothills and central AB this afternoon, along with aweak SFC trof moving thru the project area. Lower levelsare drying with dew points dropping into low single and

minus digits thru the period. The atmosphere is slightlyunstable in the north thru the afternoon.

A few areas of light rain in the northern projectthroughout the afternoon. A weak, isolatedthundershower developed over Carseland around 00Zand drifted eastward out of the project area.38 max dBz, 2.6 max VIL.

Tmax YC = 18.1C and no rain.Tmax QF = 18.6C and traceTmax Radar = 18.1C and trace



Upper Low slowly moving NE out of AB as ridge developsover BC and AB. Strong warm air advection thru the mid

levels with weak PVA into the project area. Theatmosphere is stable with a strong CAP and the lower levels remain dry.

Small band of virga moved through the northern andcentral project in the morning. Scattered fair Cu thru theafternoon with some partial clearing around sunset thenmostly clear overnight.13 max dBz.



September 09,

Wednesday

Upper level trof moving thru AB today and tonight with

dissipating SFC Low pressure system moving thru theproject area. Strong PVA forecast to target the projectarea between overnight with some mid-level moisture.Lower levels remain fairly dry.

Virga and sprinkles from a thick, stratus cloud deckaround the central project area, lasting thru the evening.Partial clearing overnight, with isolated light raindeveloping in the northern project late overnight and intothe south by Thursday morning.35 max dBz.

Tmax YC = 21.8C and no rain.Tmax QF = 21.3C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 19.9C and a trace of rain.

Public Relations: Seven people

from AXA Insurance visited theOlds radar site and spent timetalking with pilots andmeteorologists, learning about thecloud seeding project.

HS1 and HS2 flew from YC to Oldsin the morning for the group tour and then retuned to YC in theafternoon.

Flight SummaryHS1: 1738-1804; no seeding; YCto Olds.HS2: 1741-1812; no seeding; YC

to Olds.HS1: 2125-2212; no seeding; YCto Olds.HS2: 2135-2207; no seeding; YCto Olds.

September 10,Thursday

Upper level ridge building over BC with SFC Highpressure developing along AB/BC border. Strong warmair advection at mid levels but still cool and dry thru thelower levels. The atmosphere is very stable.

A beautiful day in the project area, with only Ac, Ci, Cuand Cf clouds.




105

Tmax YC = 19.1C and no rain.Tmax QF =18.9C and no rain.Tmax Radar = 17.9C and no rain.

September 11,Friday

High-pressure ridge remains located over the Westernpart of Canada. Surface High-pressure center hasformed over the project area. Jet PVA core is located N

of AB. The atmosphere is very stable and dry.

A nice day again except for being a bit breezy. Only atrace of Ci clouds.



September 12,Saturday

High-pressure ridge remains located over the Westernpart of Canada. Weak short wave trough is located over AB. Surface High-pressure center is located over theborder between BC and AB. The atmosphere is verystable and dry.

Hardly a cloud in the sky, only a trace of Ci. Windyduring the morning and afternoon again.



September 13,Sunday

High-pressure ridge still dominating the weather over theWestern part of Canada. Surface High-pressure center remains located over the project area. Upper level Low-pressure center is located to the south of AB. Theatmosphere is stable and dry.

A very nice day with only Ci and a few Cu clouds.

Tmax YC = 23.5 C and no rain.Tmax QF = 24.5 C and no rain.Tmax Radar =23.4 C and no rain.


September 14,Monday

High-pressure ridge has moved to the East and now itsaxis is located over MB. Upper level Low-pressurecenter is located over the border between AB and SK.The atmosphere is stable and dry.

A nice afternoon with only Cu, Ac and Ci clouds. Weakthundershowers over the mountains during the eveninghours and moved into the Caroline area overnight as asmall area of light rain.33 max dBz.




The next High-pressure ridge has formed over BC and AB. Surface High-pressure center is located over theproject area. Strong jet PVA core is crossing theWestern part of BC from the South to the North. Theatmosphere is slightly unstable with a cap at the 700 mblevel.

Another beautiful day across the project area to end the

Public Relations: Two people fromWestern Financial GroupInsurance visited the Olds radar site and spent time talking withpilots and meteorologists, learningabout the cloud seeding project.

HS3 flew from QF to Olds for the



106

2009 season. Only clouds reported were Cu, Ci, Sc, and Ac.


tour at the radar and thencontinued to YC.

Flight SummaryHS3: 1734-1804; PR QF to Olds.HS3: 2032-2059; PR Olds to YC.



107

. AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS / FLIGHT SUMMARY TABLE 2009

BERTA HAIL SUPPRESSION PROJECT 2009 st Updat ed: 9/ 17/ 2009

NT HLY F LI G HT T I ME T O T AL: J UNE J UL Y AU GU ST S E PT EM BE R Season Total JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER

Season

Total

HS1 6:12 8:04 4:30 2:44 21:30 BIP 5 18 4 0 27

HS2 8:32 15:11 4:54 2:34 31:11 EJECT 59 0 1 91 0 250

HS3 4:25 8:53 8:59 1:45 24:02 BIP 17 39 9 0 65

HS4 8:25 1 1:15 12:11 0:46 32:37 EJECT 0 0 0 0 0

109:20 BURNE 14 221 122 0 357

lSt op #1 - N234K CURRENT CHEMI CAL & F LARE I NVENT O RY BIP 1 15 32 0 48lSt op #2- N457DM BI P EJ ECT S OL UT ION EJECT 9 95 97 0 201

lSt op #3- N911F G YYC 430 5374 75 BIP 14 37 46 0 97

lSt op #4- N123KK YQF 169 1206 56 EJECT 0 0 0 0 0 TOTAL TIME AIR TIME

Starting Inventory: 599 6580 131 BURNE 142 289 567 0 998 S ee di ng ho ur s: 5 7: 06 5 1: 23Current Inventory: 362 6129 - Patrol hours: 20:30 16:22Total used: 237 451 1355 min

TOTALS # Flights: 81 109:20 87:03 451 2 37 1355 Total Time Total EJ Total BIP Total Burner 30

Date (UTC) Aircraft Engine On

(UTC)

Engine Off

(UTC)

Total Time

(hh:mm)

Take-Off Time

(UTC)

Landing Time

(UTC)

Air Time

(hh:mm) EJ (#) BIP (#)

Burner

Minutes

Flight

Type109:20 451 237 1355

Seed Amount

(Per Flight)

(Grams)

Seed

Accumulation

(Grams)

Seed Amount

(Per Day)

(Grams)

# Storms Captai n Co-Pilot Ob

02-Jun-09 HS1 22:18 23:41 1:23 22:47 23:29 0:42 1 1 0 Test 5:09 1 4 12 170 170 654 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert Ryan02-Jun-09 HS2 22:25 23:40 1:15 22:38 23:30 0 :52 0 1 6 Test 167 337 0 Jeff Allen Jason Wannamaker Katie02-Jun-09 HS3 22:25 2 3:31 1:06 22:45 23:26 0:41 0 1 0 Test 150 487 0 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson 02-Jun-09 HS4 22:50 0:15 1:25 23:05 0:00 0:55 0 1 6 Test 167 654 0 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto 09-Jun-09 HS1 17:02 17:49 0:47 17:27 17:44 0:17 0 0 0 PR 2:26 0 0 0 0 654 0 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert 09-Jun-09 HS4 17:21 17:55 0:34 17:26 17:51 0:25 0 0 0 PR 0 654 0 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto Marcus09-Jun-09 HS1 21:37 22:11 0:34 21:41 22:01 0:20 0 0 0 PR 0 654 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert Marcus09-Jun-09 HS4 21:38 22:09 0:31 21:50 22:06 0:16 0 0 0 PR 0 654 0 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto 10-Jun-09 HS3 4:20 5:07 0:47 4:30 5:02 0 :32 0 0 0 Test 3:11 9 0 0 0 654 180 0 Zac Glass NA 10-Jun-09 HS3 19:21 19:57 0:36 19:35 19:54 0:19 3 0 0 Test 60 714 0 Marcus Stevenson Zac Glass 10-Jun-09 HS3 20:57 2 1:18 0:21 21:05 21:14 0:09 6 0 0 Test 120 834 0 Marcus Stevenson Zac Glass 10-Jun-09 HS2 19:54 21:21 1:27 20:06 21:17 1:11 0 0 0 Patrol 0 834 0 Jeff Allen Ryan Young Jason W14-Jun-09 HS1 0:45 2:09 1:24 0:50 2:00 1:10 58 4 0 Seed 1:24 58 4 0 1760 2594 1760 1 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert17-Jun-09 HS2 20:26 21:46 1:20 20:36 21:40 1:04 0 0 0 Patrol 1:20 0 0 0 0 2594 0 0 J eff Allen Katie Burgess Ryan18-Jun-09 HS4 21:08 23:03 1:55 21:23 22:55 1:32 0 0 0 Patrol 2:50 0 0 0 0 2594 0 0 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto19-Jun-09 HS1 2:00 2:55 0:55 2:09 2:50 0:41 0 0 0 Patrol 0 2594 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert19-Jun-09 HS2 18:25 19:05 0:40 18:35 19:00 0:25 0 0 8 Test 1:49 0 0 8 23 2617 23 0 Jeff Allen Jason Wannamaker 19-Jun-09 HS1 18:27 19:36 1:09 18:36 19:27 0:51 0 0 0 Patrol 0 2617 0 Bob Gorman Katie Burgess25-Jun-09 HS3 20:26 21:13 0:47 20:37 21:05 0:28 0 0 0 PR 3:26 0 0 0 0 2617 0 0 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson25-Jun-09 HS4 20:28 21:14 0:46 20:42 21:06 0:24 0 0 0 PR 0 2617 0 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto

25-Jun-09 HS3 23:55 0:43 0:48 0:11 0:38 0:27 0 0 0 PR 0 2617 0 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson25-Jun-09 HS4 23:56 1:01 1:05 0:20 0:56 0:36 0 0 0 PR 0 2617 0 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto29-Jun-09 HS4 22:29 0:38 2:09 22:38 0:24 1:46 0 13 136 Seed 2:09 0 13 136 2339 4956 2339 1 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto

30-Jun-09 HS2 22:49 2:39 3:50 23:00 2:37 3:37 0 16 0 Seed 3:50 0 16 0 2400 7356 2400 2 Jeff Allen Ryan Young J ason W04-Jul-09 HS2 21:40 0:33 2:53 21:50 0:26 2:36 0 15 103 Seed 9:24 49 26 151 2544 9900 5312 3 Jeff Allen Jason Wannamaker 04-Jul-09 HS1 22:05 22:47 0:42 22:15 22:39 0:24 0 0 0 Patrol 0 9900 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert Ryan

04-Jul-09 HS3 23:28 2:09 2:41 23:37 2:05 2:28 49 5 0 Seed 1730 11630 2 Marcus Stevenson Zac Glass05-Jul-09 HS4 1:06 2:50 1:44 1:11 2:46 1:35 0 6 4 8 Seed 1037 12667 1 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto05-Jul-09 HS2 1:58 3:22 1:24 2:10 3:18 1:08 0 0 0 Patrol 0 12667 0 Jeff Allen Jason Wannamaker

05-Jul-09 HS2 22:10 22:37 0:27 22:20 22:31 0:11 0 0 0 Patrol 2:16 39 2 0 0 12667 1080 0 J eff Allen Katie Burgess05-Jul-09 HS3 23:24 1:13 1:49 23:33 1:08 1:35 39 2 0 Seed 1080 13747 1 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson06-Jul-09 HS3 19:05 19:52 0:47 19:17 19:47 0:30 0 0 0 Patrol 0:47 0 0 0 0 13747 0 0 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson

07-Jul-09 HS1 21:45 23:19 1:34 21:54 23:08 1:14 0 5 0 Seed 1:34 0 5 0 750 14497 750 1 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert08-Jul-09 HS1 18:24 20:30 2:06 18:30 20:18 1:48 0 13 0 Seed 3:32 0 16 0 1950 16447 2400 1 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert08-Jul-09 HS2 20:47 22:13 1:26 20:59 22:08 1:09 0 3 0 Seed 450 16897 1 Jeff Allen Ben Hiebert09-Jul-09 HS3 18:29 19:23 0:54 18:36 19:19 0:43 0 0 0 PR 2:54 7 8 0 0 16897 1340 0 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson09-Jul-09 HS3 23:32 1:09 1:37 23:40 1:06 1:26 7 8 0 Seed 1340 18237 1 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson Joe Golde

10-Jul-09 HS3 1:31 1:54 0:23 1:36 1:50 0:14 0 0 0 PR 0 18237 0 Marcus Stevenson10-Jul-09 HS4 20:10 20:58 0:48 20:29 20:53 0:24 0 0 0 PR 0:48 0 0 0 0 18237 0 0 Joel Zimmer Marcus Stevenson11-Jul-09 HS2 22:58 1:10 2:12 23:10 1:04 1:54 0 0 0 Patrol 2:12 0 0 0 0 18237 0 0 Ben Hiebert Ryan Young12-Jul-09 HS4 21:30 1:25 3:55 21:39 1:20 3:41 0 23 241 Seed 5:46 0 23 241 4139 22376 4139 2 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto12-Jul-09 HS2 21:56 23:47 1:51 22:05 23:40 1:35 0 0 0 Patrol 0 22376 0 Jeff Allen Katie Burgess16-Jul-09 HS2 21:15 22:51 1:36 21:21 22:47 1:26 0 0 0 Patrol 4:40 0 8 0 0 22376 1200 0 J eff Allen Ryan Young17-Jul-09 HS4 0:02 3:06 3:04 0:07 3:00 2:53 0 8 0 Seed 1200 23576 1 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto19-Jul-09 HS2 20:17 23:39 3:22 20:22 23:32 3:10 0 21 118 Seed 3:22 0 21 118 3487 27063 3487 1 Jeff Allen Katie Burgess21-Jul-09 HS1 17:18 18:00 0:42 17:32 17:55 0:23 0 0 0 Test 1:45 0 0 0 0 27063 0 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert Ryan21-Jul-09 HS1 19:40 20:05 0:25 19:50 20:02 0:12 0 0 0 Test 0 27063 0 Ben Hiebert Bob Gorman Ryan

MO NT HLY F LARE USAG E:

Storm-Day Sub-Totals

HS2

HS1

HS3

HS4



108

21-Jul-09 HS1 20:36 21:14 0:38 20:52 21:03 0:11 0 0 0 Test 0 27063 0 Bob Gorman Ryan Young Ben22-Jul-09 HS1 15:48 16:12 0:24 15:59 16:04 0:05 0 0 0 PR 0:52 0 0 0 0 27063 0 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert23-Jul-09 HS1 4:48 5:16 0:28 4:59 5:10 0:11 0 0 0 PR 0 27063 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert24-Jul-09 HS3 19:04 19:46 0:42 19:14 19:42 0:28 0 0 0 Test 2:26 0 0 0 0 27063 0 0 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson24-Jul-09 HS4 19:11 2 0:55 1:44 19:20 20:53 1:33 0 0 0 Test 0 27063 0 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto28-Jul-09 HS1 20:30 21:35 1:05 20:46 21:26 0:40 0 0 0 Test 1:05 0 0 0 0 27063 0 0 Bob Gorman Jason Wannamaker B en

01-Aug-09 HS3 22:48 2:06 3:18 23:03 2:02 2:59 0 15 0 Seed 5:18 0 15 0 2250 29313 2250 2 Marcus Stevenson Ben Hiebert02-Aug-09 HS1 0:30 2:30 2:00 0:45 2:21 1:36 0 0 0 Patrol 0 29313 0 Bob Gorman Katie Burgess02-Aug-09 HS4 22:00 1:04 3:04 22:16 0:58 2:42 0 11 97 Seed 8:37 97 37 219 1927 31241 8116 2 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto03-Aug-09 HS3 6:05 9:37 3:32 6:14 9:34 3:20 97 17 0 Seed 4490 35731 1 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson03-Aug-09 HS2 7:27 9:28 2:01 7:33 9:23 1:50 0 9 122 Seed 1699 37429 INC Jeff Allen Ryan Young09-Aug-09 HS4 21:30 0:25 2:55 21:35 0:18 2:43 0 18 170 Seed 6:55 191 22 170 3186 40615 7606 1 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto09-Aug-09 HS1 22:50 1:20 2:30 23:02 1:16 2:14 191 4 0 Seed 4420 45035 INC Bob Gorman Ryan Young10-Aug-09 HS2 0:34 2:04 1:30 0:44 2:00 1:16 0 0 0 Patrol 0 45035 0 Jeff Allen Jason Wannamaker 12-Aug-09 HS4 1:13 3:24 2:11 1:24 3:19 1:55 0 10 86 Seed 2:11 0 10 86 1746 46781 1746 1 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto16-Aug-09 HS3 18:46 20:01 1:15 18:55 19:58 1:03 0 0 0 Patrol 1:15 0 0 0 0 46781 0 0 Marcus Stevenson Zac Glass

18-Aug-09 HS4 20:16 21:45 1:29 20:19 21:40 1:21 0 7 56 Seed 1:29 0 7 56 1210 47991 1210 1 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto19-Aug-09 HS3 16:59 17:32 0:33 17:12 17:29 0:17 0 0 0 PR 2:17 0 0 0 0 47991 0 0 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson19-Aug-09 HS2 17:58 18:50 0:52 18:11 18:45 0:34 0 0 0 PR 0 47991 0 Jeff Allen Jason Wannamaker Katie

19-Aug-09 HS3 21:41 22:02 0:21 21:46 21:58 0:12 0 0 0 PR 0 47991 0 Zac Glass Marcus Stevenson

19-Aug-09 HS2 21:46 22:17 0:31 21:53 22:12 0 :19 0 0 0 PR 0 47991 0 Jeff Allen Katie Burgess Jason W22-Aug-09 HS4 3:03 5:35 2:32 3:14 5:25 2:11 0 0 158 Seed 2:32 0 0 158 452 48443 452 3 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto

01-Sep-09 HS1 16:51 17:38 0:47 17:08 17:31 0:23 0 0 0 Test 3:02 0 0 0 0 48443 0 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert01-Sep-09 HS2 17:28 18:00 0:32 17:32 17:55 0:23 0 0 0 Test 0 48443 0 Jeff Allen Jason Wannamaker 01-Sep-09 HS1 19:21 20:05 0:44 19:32 19:55 0:23 0 0 0 Test 0 48443 0 Bob Gorman Ben Hiebert

01-Sep-09 HS2 19:24 20:23 0:59 19:32 20:17 0:45 0 0 0 Test 0 48443 0 Jeff Allen Jason Wannamaker 02-Sep-09 HS4 18:19 19:05 0:46 18:32 19:00 0:28 0 0 0 Test 1:34 0 0 0 0 48443 0 0 Joel Zimmer Michael Tonietto02-Sep-09 HS3 18:27 1 9:15 0:48 18:43 19:12 0:29 0 0 0 Test 0 48443 0 Marcus Stevenson Zac Glass09-Sep-09 HS1 17:38 18:04 0:26 17:44 18:02 0:18 0 0 0 PR 2:16 0 0 0 0 48443 0 0 Bob Gorman Ryan Young09-Sep-09 HS2 17:41 18:12 0:31 17:50 18:10 0:20 0 0 0 PR 0 48443 0 Jeff Allen Katie Burgess09-Sep-09 HS1 21:25 22:12 0:47 21:32 22:02 0:30 0 0 0 PR 0 48443 0 Bob Gorman Ryan Young09-Sep-09 HS2 21:35 22:07 0:32 21:39 22:05 0:26 0 0 0 PR 0 48443 0 Jeff Allen Katie Burgess15-Sep-09 HS3 17:34 18:04 0:30 17:43 17:59 0:16 0 0 0 PR 0:57 0 0 0 0 48443 0 0 Zac Glass15-Sep-09 HS3 20:32 20:59 0:27 20:34 20:57 0:23 0 0 0 PR 0 48443 0 Zac Glass

0:00 0:00 0 484430:00 0:00 0 48443



109

D. FORMS



110

Daily Forecast Sheet



111

WM I R adar O bs er v er Lo g



112

WM I S eedi ng A i r c r af t F l ight Log



113

E. SPECIFICATIONS FOR PIPER CHEYENNE II AIRCRAFT

Full deicing capabilitiesPower Type, Turboprop twin engine PT6A-28 engines9000 lbs gross weight

5018 lbs empty weight3982 lbs useful load620 hp per engine283 kts max speed269 kts recommended cruise75 kts stall dirty382 gals fuel capacity31,600 feet all engine service ceiling14,600 feet single engine service ceiling2,710 feet per minute all engine rate of climb660 feet per minute single engine rate of climb1980 feet for take off over 50 foot obstruction1410 feet for take off ground roll

2480 feet land over 50 foot obstruction1430 foot land ground roll34 ft. 8 in. length12 ft. 9 in. height42 ft. 8 in. wingspan



114

F. SPECIFICATIONS FOR BEECHCRAFT KING AIR C90 AIRCRAFT

Full deicing capabilitiesPower Type, Turboprop twin engine PT6A-21 engines9650 lbs gross weight

6382 lbs empty weight3268 lbs useful load550 hp per engine208 kts max speed185 kts recommended cruise74 kts dirty stall384 gals fuel capacity30,000 feet all engine service ceiling14,200 single engine service ceiling1500 feet per minute all engine rate of climb350 feet per minute single engine rate of climb3100 for take off over a 50 foot obstruction2250 feet take off roll

1730 feet for landing over 50 foot obstacle800 foot landing roll35 ft 6 in length14 ft 3 in height50 ft 3 in wingspan



115

G. SPECIFICATIONS FOR CESSNA C-340 AIRCRAFT

Power Type, Turbocharged piston twin engine6290 lbs gross weight4184 lbs empty weight

1802 lbs useful load310 hp per engine280 mph max speed263 mph rec. cruise82 mph stall dirty183 - 203 gals fuel capacity29,800 feet all engine service ceiling15,800 feet single engine service ceiling1650 feet per minute all engine rate of climb315 feet per minute single engine rate of climb2175 feet for take off over 50 foot obstruction1615 feet for take off ground roll1850 feet land over 50 foot obstruction

770 foot land ground roll34 ft. 4 in. length12 ft. 7 in. height38 ft. 1 in. wingspan



116

H. GROUND SCHOOL AGENDA

D A Y 1 - FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009Location: Intact (formerly ING) Orange Grove Training Centre 12th Floor- Energy Plaza East Tower 311-6th Avenue SW, Calgary AB

08:45 Welcome and Staff IntroductionsMr. Bruce Boe, WMI Director of MeteorologyMr. Jim Sweeney, W MI Vice-President

09:00 Introductory Remarks from the Insurance Industry PerspectiveMr. Todd Klapak, President- Alberta SevereWeatherManagement Society

09:15 Hail Program Overview and Status of Hail Suppression Concepts, Mr. Bruce Boe

10:00 Break

10:15 Overview of 1996-2008 Alberta Operations, Mr. Bruce Boe

11:00 SevereWeather Forecasting, Mr. Jason Goehring, WMI Canada Chief Meteorologist

11:45 Break for Lunch

12:45 ATC Controlling Procedures, Nav-Canada, Mr. Scott Young, YYC TCU Supervisor

01:45 AviationWeather & Special ProceduresCloud Seeding Aircraft & EquipmentTargeting – Seeding RatesStorm Tracking and DirectingMr. Jody Fischer, WMI

02:45 Break

03:00 Aircraft Maintenance ProceduresMr. Gary Hillman, Hillman Air

Mr. Bob Gorman, WMI Lead Canada Pilot

Safety and Emergency Procedures, Mr. Bruce BoeDaily Routines & Procedures, Mr. Jason GoehringCloud Seeding Chemical Inventory & Procedures, Mr. Joel Zimmer, WMI Pilot

05:00 End of Day 1 Ground School

06:00 Evening Social and Dinner, Sugo Caffe Italia, 1214 9th Ave SE, Calgary

Day 2 Attendance only required for WMI meteorologists, pilots, and administrative staff.

D A Y 2 - SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2009Location: Holiday Inn Express Airport Hotel & Suites, 45 HopewellWay NE, Calgary

09:30 Job Responsibilities/ Duties/ WMI Representation and Professionalism, Mr. Bruce Boe

09:45 Sharepoint IntroductionPaperwork and Accounting ProceduresHands-on Sharepoint Session withWMI Field CrewMs. Erin Fischer, WMI

12:00 (or earlier) Dismiss for Lunch

01:00 Visit and Setup: WMI Calgary Airport Office (840McTavish Road NE, Calgary), WMI Olds-DidsburyRadar, WMI Red Deer Office



117

I. WMI AIRBORNE GENERATOR SEEDING SOLUTION

Chemical Formulation: 2% AgI - 0.5 NH4I - 0.1 C6H4Cl2 - 1.0 NaClO4

Recommended Burn Rate: ~2.0 gph Nucleation Mechanism: Condensation Freezing Total Solution Weight: 33.5 lbs. Volume: ~ 5.0 gallons, (20 liters) scale for other amounts Seeding Aerosol: AgI0.85 AgCl0.15NaCl

Constituent Chemical

Formulation

Molecular

Wt.(g/mole) Mass (g)

Weight

(lb.) Volume (gal)

Silver Iodide AgI 234.77 304.2 0.67 n/a

Ammonium Iodide NH4I 144.94 93.9 0.21 n/a

Paradichloro-benzene

C6H4Cl2 147.00 19.0 0.042 n/a

Sodium Perchlorate,

99%

NaClO4 140.48 181.8 0.40 n/a

Water H2O 17.99 607.7 or less 1.34 0.202 Acetone (CH3)2CO 58.08 13985.5 30.84 4.645

Note: Sodium Perchlorate, anhydrous can be utilized in the formula by adjusting the weight or mass toinclude 0.34 lb or 158.1 g respectively, although proper handling becomes more difficult. Water amountsshould be increased to 1.40 lb or 630 g (0.21 gal).

NOTE: Use 2.4 urinal pucks (85 gram Paradichloro-benzene) for 205 litre barrel of acetone.

Mixing procedures are as follows:

1.) Combine AgI and acetone in a 5 gallon container and begin stirring;

2.) Combine ammonium iodide, sodium perchlorate and water in another small container and stir until thesolution is clear and cool (caution the perchlorate is a strong oxidizer and needs to be done at roomtemperatures, don't do this in a hot hanger)

3.) Add the ammonium iodide, sodium perchlorate and water mixture to the stirring silver iodide/acetoneslurry;

4.) Continue mixing until the solution is clear;5.) Add the paradichlorobenzene anytime after you have added container #2 and the solution is beginning

to clear;6.) Continue mixing for another 10 minutes until very clear; and7.) Pump the solution into the aircraft generator immediately after mixing or store in an appropriate labled

sealed container. Storage containers can be either stainless or plastic (polypropelyene).

Supplier: Solution Blend Service, 2720 7th Avenue N.E., Calgary, AB, T2A 5G6,403-207-9840



118

. DAILY METEOROLOGICAL FORECAST STATISTICS 2009

009

Date

FCST

CDC

Precip.

Water (in)

0°C Level

(kft)

-5°C

Level

(kft)

-10°C

Level

(kft)

Cloud

Base

Height

(kft)

Cloud

Base

Temp (°C)

Maximum

Cloud Top

Height (kft)

Temp.

Maximum

(°C)

Dew

Point

(°C)

Conv

Temp

(°C ) C APE

Total

Totals

Lifted

Index Showalter

Cell

Direction

(deg)

Cell

Speed

(knots)

Storm

Direction

(deg)

Storm

Speed

(knots)

ow

Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

ow

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

Mid Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

g

Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

g

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

Outlook

CDC

1-Jun -2 0.33 8.6 10.3 12.9 9.6 -3.0 16 14 1 10 29 51.3 1.2 1.6 10 10 10 10 15 10 330 20 285 75 -3 2-Jun -3 0.26 10.8 12.5 14.9 12.9 -6.2 14 21 -2 21 1 49.9 0.7 1.2 20 5 30 5 195 5 355 15 30 30 -3 3-Jun -3 0.50 11.0 12.9 16.2 12.5 -4.7 14 24 1 24 0 45.5 2.9 3.3 315 20 355 15 325 10 325 30 320 45 -1 4-Jun -1 0.60 10.5 12.7 15.7 9.6 2.8 30 21 7 19 343 53.4 -1.2 -1.1 335 25 5 15 355 20 320 30 300 50 0 5-Jun -1 0.53 5.6 7.2 12.1 5.4 0.3 13 8 4 7 54 42.9 6.8 7.8 310 20 330 10 110 5 295 30 300 45 0 6-Jun 0 0.34 6.3 8.0 9.7 8.3 -6.3 17 10 -1 7 115 54.2 1.1 1.7 25 15 55 10 40 10 25 25 345 20 0 7-Jun 0 0.37 7.0 8.7 10.4 8.4 -4.0 25 10 2 7 333 59 -1.9 -1.6 320 5 345 5 155 5 315 15 340 15 0 8-Jun -1 0.41 6.6 8.5 10.7 3.6 -2.6 17 10 0 9 41 57.0 0.1 0.2 270 5 340 5 120 5 285 10 5 15 -1

9-Jun 0 0.39 7.7 9.8 1 1.9 4.5 -1.7 12 14 3 12 30 52 1.9 1.8 25 5 90 5 70 5 50 15 60 25 -20-Jun -3 0.50 9.5 11.3 13.5 7.7 -4.0 15 19 1 19 49 50 1.4 1.5 345 20 20 15 350 10 345 30 10 40 -4 1-Jun 0 0.58 11.3 13.0 15.1 8.2 -2.0 28 22 2 21 320 56 -2.0 -2.1 320 20 5 10 305 5 340 25 355 30 -1 2-Jun 1 0.80 10.7 13.1 15.7 6.0 4.6 32 22 9 20 798 55 -3.1 -2.1 300 10 320 5 270 5 315 15 330 30 0 3-Jun 1 0.73 12.2 13.9 16.3 11.4 2.1 33 25 9 23 1116 57.6 -4.1 -3.6 245 15 270 5 245 5 245 15 220 5 2 4-Jun 1 0.78 11.9 14.2 16.5 10.9 2.8 36 26 9 24 830 55.6 -2.9 -2.7 260 10 290 5 210 5 260 15 270 40 2 5-Jun 1 0.97 11.9 14.3 16.9 9.6 6.8 40 26 10 23 1500 56.8 -4.6 -3.9 195 20 240 10 190 15 220 20 240 20 2 6-Jun 1 0.72 11.8 13.7 16.1 10.8 3.1 30 24 9 22 585 56.6 -3.7 -3.1 295 20 310 10 290 10 280 20 320 20 0 7-Jun 1 0.88 10.8 13.2 15.7 8.9 4.6 31 22 9 21 523 54.1 -2.6 -1.7 225 10 260 10 240 10 210 15 205 45 -1 8-Jun -1 0.61 10.5 12.6 14.8 10 1.3 28 20 5 19 376 56 -2.3 -2.3 300 20 330 10 315 15 295 20 300 50 -1 9-Jun 1 0.74 10.3 12.6 15.0 9.7 1.4 31 22 7 19 313 52.7 -1.6 -0.4 225 15 255 10 210 10 230 15 235 45 0 0-Jun -1 0.60 10.5 12.7 15.3 9.7 1.5 25 23 5 19 184 51.8 -0.6 -0.1 260 20 260 5 245 5 220 20 225 100 -2 1-Jun -1 0.76 10.3 13.0 15.7 6.8 6.6 21 16 8 14 140 52.6 -1.1 -1.2 300 10 310 5 310 10 265 10 180 35 -2 2-Jun 0 0.76 9.4 12.2 14.9 7.3 4.5 20 15 7 15 115 52.7 -0.5 -0.4 10 15 30 5 340 10 30 15 170 20 0 3-Jun 0 0.55 9.8 11.5 13.6 10.3 -1.4 27 20 5 16 438 56.6 -2.4 -1.9 285 20 320 15 290 25 285 25 280 35 -3 4-Jun -3 0.73 11.9 14.1 17.7 NC NC NC 24 1 20 0 44.5 3.4 3.4 260 25 280 20 225 20 260 35 260 80 1 5-Jun -1 0.46 9.7 11.5 14.0 7.9 -3.5 18 20 2 20 40 53 -0.3 0.1 250 35 280 25 265 30 240 45 235 70 -2 6-Jun -1 0.46 9.2 11.1 13.1 8.0 -5.2 15 20 2 19 46 52.5 0.3 0.5 260 25 315 15 295 15 285 20 260 25 -3 7-Jun -3 0.65 11.5 14.6 17.4 NC NC NC 23 3 27 0 46.2 2.3 2.7 310 30 320 20 285 20 280 35 290 55 -2 8-Jun 0 0.50 9.3 11.3 13.3 7.2 -2.6 15 19 1 19 104 47.9 1.5 3.0 250 35 290 27 270 20 260 60 265 90 0 9-Jun 1 0.73 9.8 12.2 14.5 5.4 3.2 22 19 6 20 270 55.1 -2.1 -1.5 240 30 275 20 200 15 255 50 270 100 1 0-Jun 2 0.59 9.1 10.7 12.9 6.1 -0.2 19 19 6 15 329 57.6 -2.8 -2.0 250 25 280 25 275 10 240 50 257 95 0



119

009

Date

FCST

CDC

Precip.

Water (in)

0°C Level

(kft)

-5°C

Level

(kft)

-10°C

Level

(kft)

Cloud

Base

Height

(kft)

Cloud

Base

Temp (°C)

Maximum

Cloud Top

Height (kft)

Temp.

Maximum

(°C)

Dew

Point

(°C)

Conv

Temp

(°C ) C APE

Total

Totals

Lifted

Index Showalter

Cell

Direction

(deg)

Cell

Speed

(knots)

Storm

Direction

(deg)

Storm

Speed

(knots)

ow

Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

ow

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

Mid Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

g

Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

g

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

Outlook

CDC

1-Jul 0 0.57 10.1 11.9 13.7 10.9 -2.4 28 21 5 18 419 56.5 -2.4 -1.9 275 20 290 10 240 5 265 20 270 60 0 2-Jul 1 0.69 9.9 12.3 14.8 8.4 4.5 29 20 7 17 469 55.3 -2.4 -1.9 270 20 290 15 240 5 270 35 265 70 0 3-Jul 0 0.62 10.1 12.4 14.9 9.3 2.5 28 21 6 19 460 57.1 -2.9 -2.7 285 25 325 15 310 15 290 35 290 75 0 4-Jul 1 0.83 11.5 13.8 16.2 10.5 2.2 30 24 8 22 312 55.2 -2.1 -2.2 280 20 305 15 275 10 285 35 270 65 0 5-Jul 1 1.01 11.2 13.8 16.5 7.3 7.7 30 20 11 19 317 51.4 -1.6 -0.6 265 20 295 10 240 5 270 35 270 60 1 6-Jul 1 1.22 11.5 14.6 17.7 6.4 11 36 21 12 17 736 50.5 -2.3 -1.5 155 25 180 15 140 20 170 25 185 40 0 7-Jul 1 0.64 9.6 11.9 14.3 9.0 1.7 26 19 8 17 274 54.0 -1.9 -0.7 230 15 255 10 240 15 220 15 155 15 0 8-Jul 1 0.67 9.8 11.7 14.3 8.5 3.6 31 18 9 16 878 57.5 -3.5 -3.0 295 20 325 10 290 20 295 15 340 5 0 9-Jul 0 0.62 8.3 11.5 14.4 6.7 4.7 20 15 8 14 157 52.1 -0.4 0.5 300 20 340 20 305 30 310 35 320 30 -2 0-Jul -2 0.73 11.4 13.6 16.5 10.4 2.3 19 22 7 17 95 50.5 -0.1 0.2 315 20 335 15 280 15 320 25 350 30 0 1-Jul 0 0.89 12.1 14.9 17.5 8.6 7.2 30 22 10 18 460 53.0 -2.1 -2.0 300 15 330 10 295 15 300 20 275 45 3 2-Jul 3 0.95 13.2 15.4 18.0 9.9 7.6 38 26 13 25 1218 56.5 -4.4 -4.2 250 15 270 10 230 15 250 15 235 55 1

3-Jul 0 1.01 11.6 14.7 17.0 6.2 10.9 32 20 1 4 21 797 54.1 -3.7 -3.1 330 5 15 5 260 5 315 5 220 30 -2 4-Jul -2 0.69 8.9 11.6 14.8 6.3 5.0 13 14 7 15 25 47.7 2.2 2.8 300 25 335 15 320 15 295 30 290 40 -3 5-Jul 1 0.75 11.4 13.5 16.1 9.9 3.9 30 22 10 22 362 53.1 -1.8 -1.3 290 30 320 15 285 20 300 30 290 45 0 6-Jul 1 0.76 12.0 14.2 17.1 10.0 5.4 35 26 10 25 869 55.4 -4.2 -2.7 275 15 300 10 265 10 285 25 300 55 0 7-Jul 0 0.81 13.4 15.8 18.2 11.3 5.4 36 27 12 28 483 53.6 -2.7 -2.3 290 15 300 10 275 10 275 20 290 50 0 8-Jul -3 0.79 13.8 16.1 18.3 13.1 1.7 35 29 10 32 311 52.0 -1.7 -0.8 245 25 270 20 225 15 245 40 260 80 0 9-Jul 0 0.68 11.1 13.2 15.3 9.3 4.5 27 21 7 20 688 58.9 -4.3 -4.5 285 25 330 20 305 20 300 30 280 75 -3

20-Jul -1 0.71 11.8 14.2 16.7 10.4 3.1 22 23 7 21 235 53 -1.4 -1.3 305 25 345 15 295 15 325 30 315 65 -3 21-Jul -3 0.87 12.8 15.1 17.9 10.5 5.2 32 25 9 27 362 51.5 -1.1 -1.1 300 25 330 10 300 10 305 20 305 40 -3 22-Jul -3 1.01 13.6 15.9 18.6 12.5 2.6 33 29 9 30 341 53.1 -2.0 -2.1 285 30 320 20 290 15 290 35 295 30 -3 23-Jul 1 1.02 13.6 16.3 19.3 10.5 7.1 36 29 11 27 786 51.4 -2.5 -1.3 295 20 320 10 310 5 295 20 260 10 0 24-Jul -1 0.89 14.0 16.4 19.2 11.1 5.1 33 27 9 28 292 50.7 -1.4 -0.6 135 10 180 5 155 10 150 10 85 40 -3 25-Jul 0 0.92 14.4 16.7 19.4 12.5 3.9 28 30 9 29 517 52.7 -2.1 -1.6 185 1 185 5 155 5 155 10 110 15 0 26-Jul 0 1.08 13.3 16.3 19.2 8.4 9.4 30 25 1 3 23 410 50.0 -1.5 -1.2 335 10 30 5 15 10 350 10 285 15 -1 27-Jul 0 0.86 13.1 15.6 18.4 11.1 4.2 27 26 9 23 232 51.6 -1.4 -0.9 340 25 15 15 340 10 345 25 330 40 0 28-Jul 0 0.84 11.2 14.4 17.1 7.5 8.2 27 21 1 2 17 332 51.7 -1.6 -1.3 340 30 25 20 5 20 350 30 5 70 -1 29-Jul -1 0.69 11.3 13.5 17.4 10.2 3.3 19 23 8 17 134 49.6 0.1 0.5 10 20 35 15 5 10 5 25 5 55 1 30-Jul 2 1.02 11.7 14.2 17.2 8.0 8.2 33 26 13 23 624 51.8 -2.7 -1.1 325 35 360 25 345 25 325 45 315 80 -2 31-Jul -2 0.67 13.7 16.4 18.9 NC NC NC 26 9 20 0 47.8 0.9 1.0 340 25 10 15 320 20 350 35 355 50 2



120

009

Date

FCST

CDC

Precip.

Water (in)

0°C Level

(kft)

-5°C

Level

(kft)

-10°C

Level

(kft)

Cloud

Base

Height

(kft)

Cloud

Base

Temp (°C)

Maximum

Cloud Top

Height (kft)

Temp.

Maximum

(°C)

Dew

Point

(°C)

Conv

Temp

(°C ) C APE

Total

Totals

Lifted

Index Showalter

Cell

Direction

(deg)

Cell

Speed

(knots)

Storm

Direction

(deg)

Storm

Speed

(knots)

ow

Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

ow

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

Mid Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

g

Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

g

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

Outlook

CDC

1-Aug 1 0.99 14.0 16.3 18.9 11.5 6.3 39 30 11 29 742 54.3 -3.2 -2.8 290 25 325 20 300 25 285 35 300 35 0 2-Aug 0 1.19 13.0 15.5 18.2 7.9 11.1 40 29 11 26 796 52.1 -3.7 -2.4 300 30 340 25 310 25 300 40 315 45 0 3-Aug 0 1.08 13.3 15.4 17.6 7.1 9.1 32 18 11 25 240 51.7 -1.8 -1.7 290 25 315 15 275 15 295 35 295 55 0 4-Aug 0 0.86 10.5 14.1 16.5 4.7 6.4 18 11 1 0 10 5 40.7 6.5 6.7 285 25 315 20 285 10 275 35 275 70 0 5-Aug -2 0.97 10.6 13.6 16.2 5.0 8.5 10 14 1 0 15 0 46.6 2.0 2.6 270 30 285 15 235 10 270 30 255 60 0 6-Aug 0 0.73 10.9 13.7 16.6 6.1 9.1 24 18 12 18.4 222 49.4 -0.6 0.2 280 25 320 10 300 15 280 25 265 25 0 7-Aug -2 0.62 11.4 14.9 17.9 8.6 5.6 14 20 9 20 44 47.3 1.1 1.4 25 15 50 10 10 10 20 20 10 20 -3 8-Aug -3 0.77 12.5 14.9 17.5 10.7 4.1 35 24 9 24 491 53.2 -2.1 -1.9 325 15 360 5 335 10 335 10 65 10 0 9-Aug 2 0.86 12.3 14.6 17.1 9.3 6.6 36 25 11 24 790 55.4 -3.4 -3.3 285 20 295 10 280 15 250 20 275 15 -1 0-Aug -1 0.97 12.5 15.2 18.1 9.8 6.0 24 25 10 26 213 48.3 -1.6 1.1 250 40 280 25 230 20 255 50 250 55 0 1-Aug 1 0.83 11.5 14.2 16.8 8.3 7.6 30 21 10 20 616 54.0 -3.6 -2.2 260 40 285 30 260 30 255 50 240 85 -2 2-Aug 1 0.70 10.8 12.5 14.7 10.8 0.1 28 24 9 19 414 55.9 -3.0 -2.1 255 24 290 15 245 10 260 35 250 80 -2

3-Aug -1 0.79 9.0 11.7 14.4 6.5 5.1 19 15 7 14 79 51.5 0.1 0.6 220 10 255 10 140 5 235 20 240 75 -1 4-Aug 0 0.69 9.0 11.7 14.3 5.6 6.3 21 12 9 11 98 52.4 -0.4 0.1 190 5 240 5 265 5 185 10 210 60 -1 5-Aug 0 0.60 9.2 11.8 14.8 8.0 3.4 20 16 7 15 125 51.9 -0.1 0.2 345 25 25 15 355 30 355 20 10 25 0 6-Aug 0 0.62 9.9 12.3 14.7 8.8 2.9 23 19 7 15 211 53.1 -1.1 -0.5 355 20 30 15 350 20 5 20 15 50 0 7-Aug 0 1.02 12.1 14.2 16.9 9.5 5.2 20 24 11 24 171 51.2 -1.0 -0.7 310 20 350 15 320 15 315 25 340 60 1 8-Aug 1 0.90 11.2 13.7 16.6 6.5 9.2 24 22 11 21 332 51.1 -2.4 -0.8 300 35 350 30 325 30 320 45 335 130 -3 9-Aug -3 0.81 14.5 18.6 20.8 7.8 7.8 13 23 1 1 23 0 37.2 5.7 5.9 335 35 10 20 315 20 335 45 330 70 -3 0-Aug -3 0.96 15.9 18.0 20.2 8.2 8.6 NC 24 1 1 36 0 43.8 2.0 2.2 265 15 285 10 255 15 270 25 295 55 0 1-Aug 2 1.00 13.7 16.2 18.8 10.7 6.9 38 29 12 30 916 54.0 -3.6 -2.5 245 25 270 15 240 15 240 30 245 65 1 2-Aug 1 0.68 11.2 13.3 15.5 10.4 1.1 22 23 6 24 133 54.3 -1.9 -1.4 265 30 285 20 250 15 260 40 250 80 2 3-Aug 2 0.70 10.2 12.3 14.5 8.4 4.4 27 20 9 21 294 55.5 -2.9 -1.7 245 25 285 20 285 15 240 35 230 95 -3 4-Aug -3 0.57 11.5 14.9 17.7 9.2 2.8 NC 21 6 28 0 40.8 3.3 5.8 280 25 310 15 275 20 280 35 305 50 -2 5-Aug -1 0.67 11.2 13.9 16.6 10.4 4.2 31 26 8 27 543 50.5 -2.9 0.3 255 30 275 20 250 15 240 45 230 65 -2 6-Aug -1 0.89 11.8 13.9 16.3 9.4 5.5 22 24 9 24 283 51.5 -1.8 -0.6 245 15 270 10 230 10 245 20 270 55 -3 7-Aug -3 0.76 13.7 16.9 19.8 8.9 6.9 NC 24 10 32 0 40.4 2.1 5.3 305 30 335 15 310 20 300 35 305 25 -3 8-Aug -3 0.54 14.0 17.0 19.7 10.1 5.3 NC 26 9 32 0 43.0 1.8 3.8 305 10 305 5 305 5 290 15 205 15 -3 9-Aug -3 0.51 14.4 16.9 19.1 11.9 3.8 30 28 8 33 208 49.9 -1.5 0.2 255 1 165 5 115 2 115 5 360 5 -3 0-Aug -3 0.44 14.9 17.0 19.0 12.3 0.6 NC 26 5 34 0 47.0 1.4 1.8 200 2 175 2 220 5 90 5 65 15 -2 1-Aug -3 0.58 14.4 16.4 18.5 12.9 1.5 NC 30 8 32 151 53.2 -1.7 -1.6 275 10 275 5 305 5 245 10 35 10 0

009

Date

FCST

CDC

Precip.

Water (in)

0°C Level

(kft)

-5°C

Level

(kft)

-10°C

Level

(kft)

Cloud

Base

Height

(kft)

Cloud

Base

Temp (°C)

Maximum

Cloud Top

Height (kft)

Temp.

Maximum

(°C)

Dew

Point

(°C)

Conv

Temp

(°C ) C APE

Total

Totals

Lifted

Index Showalter

Cell

Direction

(deg)

Cell

Speed

(knots)

Storm

Direction

(deg)

Storm

Speed

(knots)

Low

Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

Low

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

Mid Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

Mid

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

High

Level

Wind

Direction

(deg)

High

Level

Wind

Speed

(knots)

Outlook

CDC

1-Sep -2 0.76 13.9 15.9 18.2 11.6 4.0 32 28 1 0 29 467 54.7 -2.9 -2.6 200 2 230 2 170 5 250 5 145 10 1 2-Sep 1 0.80 13.5 16.3 18.6 11.4 4.6 36 30 11 28 872 52.8 -2.3 -1.7 265 20 290 15 245 10 270 25 255 30 0

3-Sep 1 0.83 12.6 14.6 16.9 11.0 3.5 33 28 10 26 672 54.7 -3.4 -2.2 190 40 225 30 200 35 185 45 210 55 -3 4-Sep -3 0.79 11.6 15.4 17.9 9.5 3.8 13 23 8 23 14 47.5 1.1 1.5 270 20 300 15 290 15 250 35 245 50 -2 5-Sep -2 0.76 13.6 15.6 17.9 10.7 0.7 33 21 5 30 0 45.9 2.6 2.7 200 30 235 20 200 30 215 35 225 50 -2 6-Sep -1 0.66 11.1 13.4 15.6 9.5 2.0 23 22 8 26 112 53.6 -1.5 -1.0 200 40 230 30 210 25 195 50 195 90 -2 7-Sep -1 0.48 8.6 10.7 12.9 9.8 -2.9 28 16 5 17 128 54.7 -0.9 -0.3 265 20 296 10 280 20 260 15 220 25 -3 8-Sep -2 0.52 8.7 10.9 14.6 10.8 -5.0 12 19 1 18 0 42.0 6.0 6.0 280 25 320 15 285 20 295 30 330 53 -1 9-Sep -1 0.82 10.4 13.3 16.0 9.9 1.0 13 21 2 21 0 48.0 2.1 2.1 270 30 290 20 270 30 260 25 245 30 -3 0-Sep -3 0.44 10.3 13.4 17.2 NC NC NC 19 4 21 0 34.6 7.7 7.8 330 15 10 15 290 10 350 35 345 85 -3 1-Sep -3 0.51 15.4 18.2 20.9 10.5 2.2 NC 24 6 43 0 31.5 7.1 10.3 10 5 275 1 170 5 315 5 315 30 -3 2-Sep -3 0.49 16.8 19.4 21.8 11.3 0.8 NC 25 5 45.3 0 30.6 8.9 10.4 220 10 240 10 220 10 225 10 220 20 -3 3-Sep -3 0.41 15.3 17.9 20.2 12.3 0.6 NC 26 5 37 0 41.0 4.3 4.8 100 20 125 10 125 10 70 20 100 60 -3 4-Sep -2 0.68 12.9 15.4 17.9 10.0 2.4 NC 24 7 29 0 47.3 0.7 1.9 320 20 360 10 310 10 335 25 320 35 -2 5-Sep -2 0.95 13.1 15.9 19.7 11.4 3.8 18 26 1 0 28 73 45.6 1.0 1.8 260 20 295 10 255 10 280 20 310 35



K. PROJECT PERSONNEL AND TELEPHONE LIST

TODD KLAPAK ASWMS Boar d Co-President Off ice: 403-231-1357 todd.k [email protected]

#1300-321 6th Ave. SW Fax: 403-233-2815

Calgary, AB T2P 0P6

ROBIN SEACOMBE A SW MS B oa rd Co -P re si de nt ( Re ti re d) H om e: 4 03 -2 78 -0 27 9 r ob in se ac om be @h ot ma il .co m

CATHERINE JANSSEN ASWMS Secretary-Treasurer Cell: 780-940-9424 [email protected]

H om e: 7 80 -4 16 -9 68 7 c ja ns se n@ me ye rs in su ra nc e. co m

BRUCE BOE Project Director O ff ice : 70 1- 673 -33 54 bbo e@wea th ermo d. co m

Director of Meteorology Weather Modification, Inc. Cell: 701-238-2577

3802 20th Street North, Fargo, ND 58102 Home: 701-673-3254

HANS AHLNESS VP- Operations Weather Modif ication, Inc. Direct Off ice: 701-373-8834 [email protected]

3802 20th Street North, Fargo, ND 58102 Cell: 701-371-4064

Home: 701-280-2329

ERIN FISCHER A dm in is tr at io n W ea th er Mo di fi ca ti on , I nc . C el l: 7 01 -3 71 -3 09 6 e fi sc he r@ we at he rm od .c om

3802 20th Street North, Fargo, ND 58102 Direct Office: 701-373-8829

JODY FISCHER Flight Ops Support Weather Modif ication, Inc. Cell: 701-371-6138 f [email protected]

3802 20th Street North, Fargo, ND 58102

DENNIS AFSETH Director of Electronics Weather Modification, Inc. Office: 701-235-5500 ext 190/193 [email protected]


Home: 701-235-8778

MIKE CLANCY Director of Maintenance Weather Modification Inc. Cell: 701-219-1390 Office: 701-373-8841 [email protected]

3802 20th Street North, Fargo, ND 58102

ED FANDRICH L ea d W MI Me ch ani c C el l: 7 01 -2 61 -3 40 3 O ff ic e: 7 01 -3 73 -8 84 3 e fa nd ri ch @w ea th er mo d. co m3802 20th Street North, Fargo, ND 58102

RANDY JENSON C FO W ea th er Mo di fi ca ti on, I nc . O ff ic e: 7 01 -2 35 -5 50 0 e xt . 1 03 r jen so n@ we at he rm od .c om


PATRICK SWEENEY President/CEO Weather Modif ication, Inc. Off ice: 701-235-5500 ext.107 [email protected]


JAMES SWEENEY Vice President Weather Modif ication, Inc. Off ice: 701-235-5500 ext.102 [email protected]


JASON GOEHRING Canada Chief Meteorologist Weather Modification, Inc. Cell: 605-216-5960 [email protected]

VIKTOR MAKITOV M et eo ro lo gi st W ea th er Mo di fi ca ti on , I nc . C el l: 4 03 -5 59 -6 88 9 v sm ak it ov @h ot ma il .c om

MATT BECKER M et eo ro lo gi st W ea th er Mo di fi ca ti on , I nc . C el l: 8 47 -7 14 -3 16 4 m be ck er @w ea th er mo d. co m

BOB GORMAN Lead Canada Pilot Weather Modif ication, Inc. Cell: 403-700-3284 [email protected]

N234K

JEFF ALLEN Pilot Weather Modif ication, Inc. Cell: 403-803-8360 ef fr [email protected]

N457DM

BEN HIEBERT Pilot Weather Modif ication, Inc. Cell: 403-463-2992 [email protected]

N234K & N457DM Home: 403-245-2364

MORGAN AIR CO PILOTS (S per isor Mr Ga in Lange)

ALBERTA SEVERE WEATHER MANAGEMENT SOCIETY (ASWMS) - CALGARY, ALBERTA

L a st Re vise d 0 5 Ju n e 2 0 0 9

ALBERTA HAIL SUPPRESSION PROJECT 2009

WEATHER MODIFICATION, INC. (WMI) - FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA PHONE: 701-235-5500 FAX: 701-235-9717

RADAR OPERATIONS CENTER - OLDS-DISBURY AIRPORT, ALBERTA

PILOT OFFICE - CALGARY, ALBERTA

RADAR FAX: 403-335-8377 RADAR PHONE: 403-335-8359 ADDRESS: Olds-Didsbury Airport, Highway 2A, Olds, Alberta T4H 1A1 EMAIL: [email protected]

PILOT OFFICE: 403-690-0153 ADDRESS: 820 McTavish Road, Calgary, Alberta, T2E 7G6 EMAIL: [email protected]

Wmi Alhap Final Report 2009

Documents

Transcript of Wmi Alhap Final Report 2009