NWS Jackson KY KJKL Radar SLEP Upgrade/Radar Outage Through October 21, 2022

Heavy Snow Across the Northern Plains and Great Lakes; Strong Winds for the East

Travel conditions will be challenging across the northern Plains, Great Lakes and east coast through Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Heavy snow, blizzard conditions, for the upper Midwest and Great Lakes region through Thanksgiving to be followed by another strong storm for the Plains, Great Lakes and Northeast this weekend. Strong winds are expected with these systems adding to travel difficulties Read More >

NWS Jackson, KY Radar Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) Upgrade and Downtime

Beginning 14 October 2022, the KJKL WSR-88D radar operated by the National Weather Service in Jackson, KY will be down for approximately 7 days for the replacement of the generator, fuel tanks, and accompanying components. This activity is important to support the radar’s operation during periods of commercial power outages, specifically when hazardous weather is present.

This generator update is one of five major projects of the NEXRAD Service Life Extension Program, a series of upgrades and replacements that will keep our nation’s radars viable into the 2030’s. NOAA National Weather Service, the United States Air Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investing $150 million in the seven year program. The Service Life Extension Program will complete in 2023.

During the downtime, adjacent radars include: Louisville, KY; Wilmington, OH; Morristown, TN; Nashville, TN; and Charleston, WV. For direct access to any of these surrounding radar sites, go to the following web page: https://radar.weather.gov A single radar site can be viewed by going to the “Select View” menu option then clicking on “Local Radar” to select a single radar site.

The Jackson, KY WSR-88D is part of a network of 159 operational radars. The Radar Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma, provides lifecycle management and support for all WSR-88Ds.

The National Weather Service in Jackson, KY can be found online at www.weather.gov/jacksonky, and on social media at www.facebook.com/NWSJacksonKY (Facebook) and @nwsjacksonky (Twitter).