Weather Support for 2002 Olympic Games

Dr. Tom Potter

SLOC Weather Coordinatorand U. of Utah Meteo Dep’t

2002 Winter Games

• 2500 Athletes• 78 Events at 10 Venues• 1.5 Million Spectators• 9000 Accredited Media + 4 K more• 26,000 Volunteers + 5000 Staff• Budget $ 1.3 Billion• Games Labeled “Outstanding” by

Athletes,Spectators,TV Audience, and even the Media.

Effects on Olympic activities

• Sport Competition Delays• Transportation (Ground and Air)• Spectator Safety & Comfort• Medical Emergency Response• Security• Snowmaking & Snow Removal• Engineering & Construction:

Seats,tents,flags,displays,…• Environmental Quality & Air Pollution• Ceremonies with weather-critical shows

before 50,000+ people in stadium

What the WSP Provided

• Forecasts & Warnings : For 5 Outdoor Venues,the Salt Lake Area, and Roads

• Official Weather Conditions at Venues

• Historical Climate Data: Venues & Cities plus Climate Forecasts from CPC

• Consultant advice on applications: snowmaking,engineering & construction, transportation, security, ceremonies,...

Who Did the Job

Unique Weather Team from public, private, academic and military sectors

- NWS: Area-wide & road corridor fcsts, plus led twice-daily conference calls

- KSL : Detailed fcsts for sports venues

- U: Sensors, MesoWest, Research, Fcst Tools, Hi-Res Analyses & Fcsts, Wx Aides

- Hill AFB: Helicopter Support and TMOS

- NCEP, SLOC IS/Comm/Others, USFS Avalanche Center, FSL (FX-Net), UOPSC

Real-time Operations

• Weather Operations Center at NWS Office near SLC Airport (24/7)

• Weather Forecasters at Outdoor Venues ( 0400 to 1800 on event days)

• Volunteer Weather Aides at Outdoor Venues: Official Obs (0600 to 1800)

• High-res MM5 and ADAS Runs, MesoWest DataBase at U of U (24/7)

• Aviation Weather from Hill AFB (24/7)

• Coordinator/Aides at SLOC/MOC(04-1900)

Tool Kit

* Modern Hardware and Software with Hi-Res Analyses and Forecasts

* Superb MesoWest Database* New Understanding of Local Mountain

Snow Processes from IPEX* Forecasters Knew Local Mtn Weather* Each Component of Weather Team

brought unique strengths* Twice Daily Conference Calls Aided in

Accurate & Well-Coordinated Forecasts

MesoWest surface network

• 2600 stations & 70 networks in western US

• 250+ stations in northern Utah

www.met.utah.edu/mesowest

Olympic region sites

MesoWest Olympic obs

Soldier Hollow: Cross Country, Biathlon, Nordic Combined

Snowbasin Downhill, Combined, Super-G

Utah Olympic ParkBobsled, Luge, Skeleton,

Ski Jumping, Nordic Combined

Park CityAlpine GS, Snowboard GS

Snowboard Half Pipe

Deer ValleyAlpine Slalom, Aerials, Moguls

Location of MM5 MOS sites

Mesoscale modeling/(MOS)

FX NET

• PC-based weather display system from NOAA/FSL

• Provides access to NWS/AWIPS information at outdoor venues and Hill AFB

• Insures all forecasters on Olympic team have access to the same weather information

Potential Wx Concerns

D. JuddWestwide Avalanche Network

• Forecasts of Precipitation in the Mountains• Forecasts for tiny sports venues at precise

fixed times• Heavy Snow• Strong Winds• Too Warm for Snowmaking• Rain on Snow• Low Visibility: Fog or Snow• Lightning• Avalanches

• Air Pollution

Actual Weather

• Nearly Perfect for Winter Games : Colder & Drier than Normal, with no big

snowstorms, strong wind gusts, or low visibilities

• Few Weather Delays/Postponements - Mostly from Winds - Only one postponement from snow - Potential Wind/Lightning effects at all 4

Opening/Closing Ceremonies

Forecast Results

• Overall, forecasts were excellent, according to customers.

• Superb data sets and wide range of models available to experienced forecasters who coordinated well.

• Had high resolution analyses/forecasts.• MM5/MOS forecasts for venues were quite

accurate.• Detailed,precise forecasts for

Opening/Closing Ceremonies were exceptionally good.

LEGACIES

• More Obs, Better D.B., New forecast tools

• Better Understanding of Winter Weather in Complex Terrain thru Research & Experience

• Will result in better forecasts in mountain regions well after the Olympics

• Model of Multi-Sector Cooperation

Ongoing scientific issues

• QPF!!!– When, where, how much

• Highway surface modeling/guidance

• Snow-surface temperature/structure

• AQ during cold pools/inversions