The National Weather Service said Wednesday that its radar in Springfield will be down for about five days beginning Sept. 23.
It said WSR-88D radar will be offline while undergoing a refurbishment of the transmitter. Although the form, fit and function of the transmitter will remain the same, old breakers and cables original to the radar will be replaced with modern fuses and new cables. This will help keep the 20-year-old radar operating smoothly for another 20 years, it said.
This transmitter update is the second major project of the NEXRAD Service Life Extension Program, a series of upgrades and replacements that will keep the nation’s radars viable into the 2030s. NOAA National Weather Service, the U.S. Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration are investing about $150 million in the seven-year program.
During the downtime, adjacent radars include: Pleasant Hill (EAX), Topeka, Kan. (TWX), Wichita, Kan. (ICT), Tulsa, Okla. (INX), Fort Smith (SRX), Little Rock, Ark. (LZK), Memphis, Mo. (NQA), Paducah, Ky. (PAH), and St Louis (LSX).
For direct access to any of these surrounding radar sites, go to the following web page:Â https://radar.weather.gov/index.htm
The WSR-88D is part of a network of 159 operational radars. The Radar Operations Center in Norman, Okla., provides lifecycle management and support for all WSR-88Ds.
For a radar mosaic loop of all surrounding sites covering the radar coverage region go to https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/Conus/uppermissvly_loop.php or https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/Conus/southmissvly_loop.php
The National Weather Service in Springfield can be found on social media at https://www.facebook.com/NWSSpringfield and @NWSSpringfield.