KMPX Radar Outage This Week

Beginning Tuesday, November 12, the KMPX WSR-88D radar operated by the NOAA National Weather Service in Chanhassen, MN will be down for three to five days 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 is expected to be back in service by Friday, November 15.

This transmitter update is the final project for our radar as part 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. The KMPX 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. NOAA National Weather Service, the United States Air Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investing $150 million in the seven year program.  Previous SLEP projects at KMPX have included the installation of a new signal processor in October 2017, refurbishment of the equipment shelters in June 2019, and replacement of the radar pedestal unit in September 2019.  The Service Life Extension Program will be completed on all radars nationwide in 2023.

During the downtime, data from adjacent NWS radars will be available, including: Duluth, MN, La Crosse, WI, Des Moines, IA, Sioux Falls, SD, Aberdeen, SD, and Grand Forks, ND. Data from any these surrounding radar sites can be viewed below, or at the following web page: radar.weather.gov. Additional radar coverage over the Twin Cities metropolitan area will be provided from the FAA-operated Minneapolis Terminal Doppler Weather Radar.

During the outage, our office will still perform our standard level of operations and continue to issue necessary hazardous weather warnings and advisories. Meteorologists will be able to utilize neighboring radars; multi-radar multi-sensor (MRMS) derived products, GOES high-resolution satellite data, as well as weather spotter reports.