NEW BRAUNFELS -- Crews at the National Weather Service Austin/San Antonio started making upgrades to life-saving weather tracking tools this week.

  • Used to track weather systems across the country
  • Installed in 1995 as one of 150 radars nationwide

The Doppler radar is getting an upgrade. The dome is an 8,000-pound fiberglass shield protecting the radar.

“We’re very much excited, there’s a lot of us that are out here because it really is the facelift that our radar has needed,” said Aaron Treadway, meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service's office in New Braunfels use it to track weather systems across the country.

It was installed in 1995, one of 150 radars nationwide.

 

 

 

“This radar has seen the Jarrell EF-5 tornado in 1997, has seen big floods like the '98 flood, the Memorial Day flood, the Halloween flood and ice storms," said Treadway. "So it’s really been through a lot."

They were built to last 20 years and maintenance could keep the 25-year-old machine running for several more years.

“So hopefully another 15 to 20 years, doubling the life of this radar before some new technology comes along or they have to do another upgrade like this,” said Treadway. 

The New Braunfels radar site was one of first in South Texas. The next Doppler to be updated will be in Del Rio, Corpus Christi and then Brownsville.

The upgrade is part of the Service Life Extension Program--which includes four modernizing procedures for each radar site across the country.

“And each of those steps have been a yearly step," said Treadway. "In January of '18 we did the signal processor, January of last year with did the transmitter and now it’s late January of 2020, we’re doing the pedestal.”

The radar spins on the pedestal, which has to be lifted and then replaced with a fully refurbished pedestal. Sometime before 2023 the fourth step will happen to update the shelter to the equipment down below. 

“This is basically like going in for a facelift or going in for a haircut kinda thing,” said Treadway.

For now, meteorologists are looking forward to getting their forecasts back on track.

 

 


The National Weather radar in New Braunfels with construction vehicles in the area (Spectrum News)