EWP examining potentially tornadic storms during IOP

The EWP is performing an informal IOP to familiarize the forecasters with the experimental data they will be using for the rest of the week following the afternoon training session. Today's focus for the first half of the evening is for the UWCI and OTTC products over N. TX into W. KS where a threat for tornadoes is expected into the late evening and overnight. Forecasters are examining the CTC product as well to determine the relative strength of the storm updrafts, which is made possible because the CTC product does not shut off until the storm has glaciated for two scans. Preliminary interactions with the forecasters have been promising regardless of some continued issues with the OTTC data. Forecasters have regularly been seeing lead times with the UWCI and CTC products of 15 minutes over radar, as well as their own subjective determinations of when convective initiation has occurred based on satellite or radar. They have also been finding that the CTC product has been providing them with some valuable information regarding the locations of the most vigorous updrafts along a line of storms. Wayne Feltz will be providing a more detailed update on his interactions with the forecasters.