The National Weather Service in Mobile is getting a radar upgrade to help better predict weather that affects you.
The National Weather Service says it cost about $250 thousand dollars to update the Doppler Radar. Officials say this new technology called Dual Polarization Radar could save the nation $700-million dollars each year. The old radar only allowed meteorologists to see things in one dimension with a horizontal signal. By adding a vertical signal, they can see three dimensional objects such as rain, hail, snow and even debris.
The upgraded radars offer 14 new radar products to further determine the type and intensity of precipitation and how much may fall. It will tell the difference between smoke, birds, bats and bugs, and confirm that tornadoes on the ground are causing damage.
Weather experts believe Dual-pol is the most significant enhancement ever made to the nation's radar network since Doppler radar was first installed in the early 1990s.
Meteorologist, Kelly Foster
