Election Day Weather Extremes

Severe Thunderstorm and Flash Flood Threats Continue into the Weekend

Severe thunderstorms are expected from the southern Plains to the Midwest through Friday night. Severe storm hazards may include large hail, severe winds, and tornadoes, some of which may be strong. There will be another chance for severe thunderstorms on Saturday for portions of Texas, the Lower Mississippi Valley, and the Ohio Valley. Storms could result in locally heavy rain and flash flooding. Read More >

Grand Rapids Radar Down For System Upgrade

Radar data from NWS Grand Rapids will be unavailable until Thursday, November 10, due to a scheduled upgrade necessary to extend the life of the radar into the next decade and beyond. Overlapping radar data will be available from surrounding sites, and no severe weather is expected during the outage. The first of four projects in the Service Life Extension Program, this step replaces obsolete signal processor technology with new digital equipment. The signal processor is the like the brains of the radar, and the upgrade will result in faster and more precise data processing, paving the way for new radar technologies and algorithms in the future. In the next several years, refurbishment will also be done to the transmitter, equipment shelter, and pedestal.