Billings Doppler Radar Outage Continues

Beginning Tuesday September 4, 2018, the Doppler Radar operated by NOAA’s National Weather Service in Billings, MT will be down for the 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. The radar will return to service as soon as possible once the work is complete.  

This transmitter update is the second major project of the NEXRAD Service Life Extension Program, a series of upgrades and replacements that will keep our nation’s radars viable into the 2030’s. NOAA’s National Weather Service, the United States Air Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investing $150 million in the seven year program. The first project was the installation of the new signal processor. The two remaining projects are the refurbishment of the pedestal and equipment shelters. The Service Life Extension Program will complete in 2022.

During the downtime, adjacent radars include: Great Falls, MT; Glasgow, MT, Rapid City, SD, and Riverton, WY. For direct access to any of these surrounding radar sites, go to the following web page: https://radar.weather.gov/index.htm

For a radar mosaic loop of the Northern Rockies:
https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/Conus/northrockies_loop.php

The Billings, MT Doppler Radar is part of a network of 159 operational radars. The Radar Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma, provides lifecycle management and support for all Doppler Radars.