Atmospheric Sciences at the Illinois State Water Survey: Five Decades of Diverse Activities and Achievements

Abstract

During a 50-yr history of diverse scientific endeavors, the Illinois State Water Survey's weather group has constantly shifted to meet new challenges as the nation's only sizable atmospheric research and services group housed in a state agency. The hundreds of projects encompass basic and applied research; data collection, evaluation, and storage; field projects; instrument design, development, and testing; and a services program in response to the needs of the public and specialized users of weather and climate information. Areas of major achievements include development of numerous meteorological instruments and data systems including the CHILL radar; participation in several national field projects, including the Metropolitan Meteorological Experiment (METROMEX); and pioneering research in radar meteorology, weather impacts, planned weather modification, inadvertent urban weather and climate change, applied climatology, and hydrometeorology.