COLORADO FRONT RANGE CHINOOK WIND EVENTS FROM IS THERE AN UPWARD TREND? Ben Converse

INTRODUCTION Studying microburst wind phenomena Microbursts and downslope wind flows can be damaging Downslope wind are associated with increase in temperatures This could have a significant hydrological impact at length

BACKROUND A downslope wind event for this study is defined as having a 25 m/s (50 kts) average speed over a ten minute period (Also known as chinook events) Sustained wind can damage community infrastructures and property Prolonged chinook events introduce mild and warm periods during the winter, which may block precipitation Lengthy periods of mild winter weather can impact statewide snowpack 75% of the western United States relies on Colorado snowpack for water

QUESTION Are the frequencies of 25 m/s chinook wind storms increasing on the front range of Colorado in a ten year period? ( ) HYPOTHESIS: In the ten year period between 2003 and 2013, there will be a measureable increase in the frequencies of wind events on the front range of Colorado as average temperature increased.

METHODS NREL wind and wind frequency data is downloaded through a text file Data is derived from NREL that measures wind speeds in m/s near Golden, CO. Wind data is downloaded in an hourly format Text file is imported into Microsoft Excel Repeat this process for years Establish highest wind speeds from each year (all speeds above 25 m/s)

PRIOR RESEARCH AND POSSIBLE BIAS Analyzed years 2011 and 2013 Looked for similar trend Found a decrease in frequency of wind events; 2011 was windier than

RESULTS

DISCUSSION No upward trend of wind events, instead trended downward This may not be significant due to the short time frame 2011 also has a higher frequency of wind activity as compared to 2013 Windier years could be associated with longer mild periods, and reduced snow pack

FUTURE RESEARCH Explore correlation with snowpack levels throughout the ten year period Explore correlation with annual temperature averages Increase sample space size in order to more accurately distinguish trends

BIBLIOGRAPHY Lundquist J, Fitch C, (2013) Mesoscale Influences of Wind Farms throughout a Diurnal Cycle. American Meteorological Institute Troldborg N, Sorensen J.N., (2007) Actuator Line Simulation of Wake of Wind Turbine Operating in Turbulent Inflow. The Journal of Physics

QUESTIONS?