Upgrade Complete, NWS Raleigh WSR-88D Radar Has Returned to Service

* UPDATE - The Upgrade Is Complete and the NWS Raleigh WSR-88D Doppler Radar Has Returned to Service as of Wednesday, July 26th

NWS Raleigh WSR-88D Doppler Radar Scheduled for Upgrade Beginning Monday, July 24

The National Weather Service Raleigh WSR-88D Doppler weather radar, KRAX, located in Clayton, NC, will be down for approximately four days beginning Monday, July 24, 2017, for technicians to install an important technological upgrade. The work on the WSR-88D has been scheduled to minimize any potential impacts to office operations.

During the outage, radar coverage should be available from adjacent NWS radar sites, including Blacksburg, VA (KFTX); Wakefield, VA (KAKQ); Newport/Morehead City, NC (KMHX); Wilmington, NC (KLTX); Columbia, SC (KCAE); Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (KGSP) as well as the Federal Aviation Administration Terminal Doppler Weather Radar in Raleigh, NC (TRDU).

A crew will install a new signal processor, which replaces obsolete technology, improves processing speed and data quality, provides added functionality, and supports IT security.

This is the first of four major upgrades, known as the Service Life Extension Project (SLEP), planned over the next five years to replace and refurbish major components of the 20 year old WSR-88Ds and to keep the radars operational into the 2030s. The $150M investment is being made by the three organizations that operationally use these radars, the NOAA National Weather Service, United States Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration. The other service life extension projects include refurbishing the transmitter, pedestal, and equipment shelters.

A tentative deployment schedule is available online for additional radar sites at:
https://www.roc.noaa.gov/WSR88D/PublicDocs/SLEP/ECP0437SigProcSLEPDeploySched.pdf.