Major Upgrade for Key Denver-Metro Radar Station

The primary National Weather Service radar station for the Denver-metro area underwent an important upgrade October 4-13 to allow it to continue watching Colorado skies for another 20 years. Beginning October 4th, technicians started the process to refurbish and replace the pedestal of the radar designated KFTG WSR-88D, operated by NOAA’s National Weather Service in Boulder. The pedestal is one of the most critical components of the radar, necessary for antenna rotation and positioning to capture data in all directions. 

The components are extremely heavy and required the radome, the dome-shaped cover that protects the radar from bad weather, to be removed by crane. The radome was removed, the antenna pedestal was removed and replaced, and then the radome was reinstalled, all before lunch! A video of the process can be viewed here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwAPy9zkAsU

The radar, located at the Colorado Air and Space Port in Watkins, is a critical tool in the National Weather Service’s toolbox, not only for warning of large hail and tornadoes, but also for tracking snow storms and clear air features like cold fronts and shifting winds. For more than 25 years, this particular radar has watched over our state’s most populated region, one that sees very active and sometimes dangerous weather. Replacing the pedestal will 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 $135 million series of upgrades funded by NOAA, the United States Air Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration, that will keep NWS radars viable into the 2030s. The first project was the installation of the new signal processor; the second was the refurbishment of the transmitter., and the third was replacement of the pedestal. The final project will be the refurbishment of the equipment shelters at the base of the radar tower. The Service Life Extension Program will be complete in 2023.

During the downtime, adjacent radars provided coverage of the Denver metro area. Radars in Cheyenne, Wyoming (KCYS) and Pueblo, Colorado (KPUX), Goodland, Kansas (KGLD), and North Platte, Nebraska (KLNX) kept an eye on the skies, as well as the Terminal Doppler Weather Radar at Denver International Airport (TDEN) for local coverage.  Forecasters in the NWS office in Boulder also used satellite and other available observational data to minimize the impact of the outage. Fortunately the weather remained quiet during the refurbishment, and the impact on operations was minimal. For direct access to weather radar data, visit the following web page: https://radar.weather.gov/

The KFTG WSR-88D is part of a network of 159 operational radars, which is managed by the Radar Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma. 

The National Weather Service in Boulder, Colorado can be found on social media at @NWSBoulder on Twitter and US National Weather Service Denver/Boulder Colorado on Facebook.