NWS Louisville to begin using drones on surveys!

Future river flood and storm damage surveys will look a little different going forward with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Louisville, Kentucky, starting this fall! Dan McKemy, a meteorologist for NWS Louisville, submitted a grant earlier this year to obtain approval and funding for the use of UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems), or drones, in river flood and storm damage surveys. The grant was approved and funded by NOAA, and over the last several months, the office has acquired drones and trained personnel to begin using them. Late last month, Dan McKemy and Brian Schoettmer (NWS Louisville Meteorologist) visited the Parklands in Louisville, Kentucky, to conduct a mock river survey with the drones. The mock river survey was a success and showed just how valuable aerial photography can be in a river survey! An interactive map of the survey is available at the bottom of this page for viewing. We want to pass along our thanks to the Parklands Staff for granting us permission to fly on their land!

NWS Louisville will be using drones on future river flood and storm damage surveys from this point forward. For river flooding specifically, the aerial imagery will allow the NWS to create maps that will be useful to our partners to help predict future flooding as well as anticipating impacts the river flooding may cause. For storm damage surveys, the aerial imagery will help speed up the survey process, as well as helping to confirm whether damage was tornadic vs straight line wind. Expect to see future maps and imagery from us in the future after flooding and severe events!