NWS CAE Radar Upgrade

NWS Columbia Radar Upgrade

Beginning February 13, 2023, WSR-88D KCAE operated by NOAA’s National Weather Service
in Columbia, SC will be down for approximately two weeks for an important upgrade.
Technicians will refurbish and replace the pedestal, one of the most critical components of the
radar, which is necessary for antenna rotation and positioning to capture data in all directions.

The components are extremely heavy and will require the radome to be removed by crane and
replaced when the work is completed. Here is a time lapse video of the process when it occurred
at NWS Greenville-Spartanburg.

During the KCAE downtime, adjacent radars will be available, including: KGSP (Greenville-
Spartanburg, SC), TCLT (Charlotte, NC), KRAX (Raleigh, NC), KLTX (Wilmington, NC),
KCLX (Charleston, SC), KJGX (Robins AFB, GA), and KFFC (Peachtree City, GA). For direct
access to any of these surrounding radar sites, visit the following web page:
https://radar.weather.gov/

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.

The KCAE 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 Columbia, SC can be found on the web at weather.gov/cae, on
Facebook at facebook.com/NWSColumbia, and on Twitter at @NWSColumbia.