#Doppler weather radar united states install

With so many radar sites spread out across so many diverse climates, it’s only a matter of time before the devices become part of the story and get damaged by a storm. A severe thunderstorm punched a hole in the radome-the golfball-shaped casing that protects the radar dish-of a NEXRAD site near Del Rio, Texas, back in 2001. Not only can radar now differentiate between rain, snow, sleet, and hail, but it can also tell forecasters when there’s debris lofted into the air during a tornado. This dual radar beam lets the radar see the size and shape of objects picked up by the radar. Dual-pol, as it’s called, sends out two radar pulses instead of one-one oriented horizontally and another oriented vertically. The latest upgrade occurred this decade with dual-polarization technology. Doppler technology is a crucial part of detecting damaging winds and tornadoes. This allows radars to see the speed and direction of precipitation picked up by the radar, showing the winds within a storm. The most important upgrade occurred in the 1990s with the addition of Doppler technology.

Radar has come a long way over the past couple of decades. military bases in Guam, Japan, and South Korea. The remaining radars cover Puerto Rico and the U.S. Seven of those sites cover Alaska’s major cities and four keep an eye over Hawaii. There are 16 NEXRAD sites located outside of the contiguous United States. The lower 48 isn't the only area that benefits from radar coverage. The radar site for Missoula, Montana, is located at an elevation of nearly 8,000 feet on the peak of Point Six Mountain, where it was recently covered in more than 14 feet of snow.

Many radar sites along and west of the Rockies are located on the peaks of mountains. This is easy to do in places like Texas or Kansas, where there’s a virtually unobstructed view of the horizon, but it’s a bit harder to accomplish in the mountains.

#Doppler weather radar united states install

Meteorologists install radar sites in an area that will give them the best view of their surroundings with the fewest obstructions possible. The weather radar on Point Six Mountain, Montana, covered in snow in April 2018.