Jackson, KY Weather Radar Gets Upgrade

CONTACT: Tony Edwards, 606-666-2560 ext 726 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday July 24, 2017

The weather radar used by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Jackson, KY will be down for approximately four days beginning Friday July 28th 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 will be available from adjacent radar sites including:

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 service life extension projects, planned in 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 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.

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