National Weather Service completes upgrade to radar network
The nine year service-life extension program extends the life of 159 NWS radars.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - Radars need upgrades to keep them functioning properly. The National Weather Service’s upgrade to its radar network will improve its ability to warn of hazardous weather.
All hardware and software eventually need an upgrade, but it is not often that an upgrade costs $150 million to complete. This expensive upgrade, however, will keep the NWS’ NEXRAD radar network operable beyond 2035.
One hundred and twenty-two NWS radars (WSR 88-D) were upgraded, along with 37 NEXRAD systems maintained by the Department of Defense and Federal Aviation Administration. This completed the upgrade to the entire U.S. weather radar network.
Terry Clark, the Radar Operations Center Director, says the NWS has improved its radar network by eliminating obsolete items while investing in new technology.
The Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) includes five major upgrades:
- Digital Signal Processor Refresh
- Transmitter Refresh
- Pedestal Refurbishment
- Equipment Shelter Refurbishment
- New Generator
NEXRAD radar technology was developed in the 1980s and built in the 1990s. While incremental upgrades and modernization have occurred in the last 20 years, this SLEP effort addressed the major components that had not been updated, were obsolete, or required additional refresh of technology.
These SLEP upgrades will ensure the radar’s reliability, maintainability, and availability into the next decade.
To ensure the reliability of weather radar technology beyond the next decade, NOAA is developing requirements for Radar Next. This program will identify and deploy the next generation of radar coverage to improve public safety, enhance disaster preparedness, and advance scientific research and climate studies.
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