NOAA uses drones for first time

to see remote tornado damage

Imagery could lead to better data, improved forecasting of
severe storms
After deadly tornadoes struck the Southeast in March, researchers at the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used remote-controlled, unmanned aircraft for the
first time to successfully capture aerial footage of storm damage from hard-to-reach
locations.

The new imagery helped the community’s response and recovery efforts, and it allowed
forecasters to more accurately map the paths of destruction from multiple tornadoes. For
example, they were able to identify the beginning of an 80-mile tornado track in a remote
area near a river with limited road access.

Scientists hope images from the drones will improve their understanding of tornadoes
and lead to better forecasts.
A team from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), in collaboration with the
Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) at the University of
Oklahoma, deployed the two drones following tornado outbreaks on March 17 and March
25. Most of the tornadoes struck in Alabama.
Keli Pirtle, with NOAA media relations, told FreightWaves that the Quantum Trinity F90+
and Skydio2 quadcopter are research drones. Because NOAA wants to continue testing
them, there’s no plan to purchase more anytime soon.

“This is research to prove the concept,” Pirtle said. “That’s as far along as they are right
now.”

The drones’ speciality cameras provide researchers with extremely high-resolution images,
including information not visible to the human eye. The multispectral cameras have two
additional bands — red Edge and near Infrared — that collect information on vegetation. 

“So based on the response the researchers see in those bands, they’re able to better see
where the damage has occurred and the magnitude of damage to vegetation, which can
help them better assign the rating associated with storm intensity,” Pirtle explained.
Storm damage and vegetation stress can be underestimated, and drones provide a more
complete picture for rural areas. Better observations of these impacts may lead to an
improved understanding of the relationship between what forecasters see on Doppler
radar and the actual strength of a given tornado.
Pirtle added that NOAA also has two DJI systems (Matrice 210) drones, but hasn’t used
them yet because of some uncertainties in federal regulations.

Forecasters with NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) office in Birmingham, Alabama,
are excited about the potential for using aerial images for post-storm damage surveys in
heavily wooded and sometimes inaccessible rural areas.

“This imagery could be a huge benefit to our office as we will be able to provide more
detailed documentation of these impacted areas to other core partner government
agencies,” Alex Sizemore, a meteorologist at the NWS Birmingham office, told NOAA. “It
also would allow us to get the information much more quickly, saving us time.”