DES MOINES —
The National Weather Service in Des Moines is undergoing an upgrade, but it means the radar will be down for two weeks. According to the website, the radar is being retooled to handle new technology.
The dual-polarization radar represents a step up from the current doppler radar. Doppler radar does a good job of measuring how objects like rain, hail, or debris, are moving in relation to the radar. The radar can tell whether objects are being blown toward the radar or away from it, an important issue when storms hit; tight rotation indicates the potential for a tornado.
But traditional doppler radar does not measure vertical distances. So images on a radar screen are on a horozontal plane and can't easily be deciphered for size or shape. Adding a vertical pulse to the radar, making it a dual-polarization radar, should allow for that ability.
According to the NWS, "It is expected that this will result in significant improvements in the estimation of precipitation rates, the ability to discriminate between precipitation types (e.g. hail vs. rain), and the identification of non-meteorological returns, such as chaff, ground clutter, and smoke plumes from wildfires."
Precipitation rates could be particularly important. If a site receives two inches of rain in a day, it's soggy but usually unharmed. Two inches in an hour could trigger flash flooding, and better estimates could help warn people of the danger.
CNHI/Southeast Iowa
NWS radar upgrade coming
- CNHI/Southeast Iowa
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