Since 1995, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have conducted research and development on a wind shear and turbulence detection system called Juneau Airport Wind System, or JAWS. The necessity for this system was precipitated by a number of serious wind shear encounters by aircraft departing from the Juneau airport. The JAWS sensor network incorporates three boundary layer wind profilers and an array of anemometers at both sea level and high altitude locations, which are then processed and analyzed to flag turbulence problems on specific departures from the Juneau airport. These data are also provided to a variety of aviation interests and to the National Weather Service to enhance local weather services.
In addition to turbulence and wind shear, this unique data source has proven to be a valuable resource for an improved understanding of other mesoscale meteorological processes in the Juneau area. Two case studies will be presented that demonstrate the use of these data to improve NWS local forecasts and warnings. One case study illustrates the benefits of JAWS data for monitoring the intensity and type of precipitation. The second case study describes the evolution of a mountain wave aloft and its impacts at the surface.