UPDATE - March 18, 2021

Great news! As of roughly 11:00am March 18, 2021, the radar has passed all quality testing and is back up and running! The pedestal replacement was successful and no further disruptions to service related to this upgrade are planned.

UPDATE - March 16, 2021

The radar dish and internal components of the pedestal have been reassembled. Final work, testing and calibration will need to be complete before the radar is returned to service. 

UPDATE - March 13, 2021

A major milestone in the pedestal replacement work was reached Saturday when the radome was removed in order to replace the pedestal component. Technicians will now spend the next several days putting everything back together, including reassembling the radar dish and connecting various components that were disconnected to replace the pedestal component. Work remains on schedule to have the radar back up and operational by or before March 22.

Timelapse video of the the entire radome/pedestal removal and replacement: 

UPDATE - March 8, 2021

The hardware upgrade process for the KABR WSR-88D radar has begun on schedule, on March 8, 2021. Radar data is no longer available from the KABR WSR-88D radar, but data remains available from neighboring WSR-88D radars at Rapid City, SD (KUDX), Bismarck, ND (KBIS), Grand Forks, ND (KMVX), Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), Sioux Falls, SD (KFSD) and North Platte, NE (KLNX). For direct access to any of these surrounding WSR-88D radar sites, please visit the following web page: https://radar.weather.gov/.

Press Release: KABR Radar Outage During Major Upgrade

Beginning March 8, the KABR WSR-88D radar operated by NOAA’s National Weather Service in Aberdeen, SD will be down for approximately two weeks for an important upgrade. Technicians will remove and replace the 16 ft. tall, 17,420 lb. pedestal, which supports a 28 ft. diameter, 2,100 lb. parabolic dish as it spins 360 degrees and while moving vertically by steps.  To accomplish this feat, the 39 ft. diameter, 7,900 lb., "soccer ball" radome must first be removed.  

The radar and pedestal were designed to last 25 years, and this radar has exceeded its life-span. This activity is necessary to keep the radar functioning for another 20 years or more.

The pedestal refurbishment is the third major project of the NEXRAD Service Life Extension Program, a series of upgrades that will keep our nation’s radars viable into the 2030s. NOAA’s National Weather Service, the United States Air Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investing $135 million in the eight year program. The first project was the installation of the new signal processor and the second project was the refurbishment of the transmitter. The fourth project will be the refurbishment of the equipment shelters. The Service Life Extension Program will be complete in 2023.

During the downtime, adjacent radars will be available, including: Rapid City, SD (KUDX), Bismarck, ND (KBIS), Grand Forks, ND (KMVX), Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), Sioux Falls, SD (KFSD) and North Platte, NE (KLNX). For direct access to any of these surrounding radar sites, visit the following web page: https://radar.weather.gov/ or any number of websites and mobile/tablet apps where WSR-88D weather radar data is freely available in real time.

The KABR WSR-88D is part of a network of 159 operational radars. The Radar Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma, provides lifecycle management and support for all WSR-88Ds.

The National Weather Service in Aberdeen, SD website is www.weather.gov/abr and can be found on social media at www.facebook.com/NWSAberdeen and www.twitter.com/nwsaberdeen.

For questions, comments or concerns please contact:

James Scarlett, Meteorologist-In-Charge, james.scarlett@noaa.gov

Kelly Serr, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, kelly.serr@noaa.gov