National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

 

Beginning Monday January 6, 2020, the KDVN WSR-88D radar operated by the NOAA National Weather Service in the Quad Cities will be down for approximately five days for the refurbishment of the transmitter.

 

 

During the downtime, adjacent radars include: KDMX (Des Moines, IA), KARX (La Crosse, WI), KMKX (Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI), KLOT (Chicago/Romeoville, IL), KILX (Lincoln, IL), KLSX (St. Louis, MO) and KEAX (Kansas City/Pleasant Hill, MO).  For direct access to any of these surrounding radar sites, go to the following web page:  http://radar.weather.gov/index.htm

 

For a radar mosaic loop of the Upper Mississippi Valley Sector go to the following web page:

 https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/Conus/uppermissvly_loop.php

 

For a radar mosaic loop of the Central Great Lakes Sector go to the following web page:

 https://radar.weather.gov/ridge/Conus/centgrtlakes_loop.php

 

 

DETAILS OF THE UPGRADE:

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 upgrade will help keep the 25 year-old radar operating smoothly into the 2030s.  The transmitter upgrade is the second major project of the WSR-88D Service Life Extension Program (SLEP), a series of upgrades and replacements that will keep our nation's radars viable into the 2030's.  NOAA 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 a 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.

 

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

 

The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities can be found on social media at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NWSQuadCities

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/NWSQuadCities