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Bering Sea Storms in Alaska; Heavy Rain in Hawaii; Severe Thunderstorms in the Upper Mississippi Valley

A series of Bering Sea storms continues to impact western Alaska this week, with elevated water levels, isolated coastal flooding, high surf, erosion, and strong winds. Tropical moisture will bring the potential for heavy rain and thunderstorms to Hawaii through early Thursday. A few severe thunderstorms are possible over the Upper Mississippi Valley today with some tornado potential. Read More >

The Doppler weather radar used by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Marquette (MQT) will be out of service for approximately four days beginning Monday, October 3, 2016, for technicians to install an important technological upgrade.
 
During the outage, radar coverage is available from adjacent radar sites including Duluth, MN (DLH), Green Bay, WI (GRB), and Gaylord, MI (APX).
 
A crew will install a new signal processor, which replaces obsolete technology, improves processing speed and data quality, provides added functionality, and supports IT security.
 
This is the first of four major upgrades, known as service life extension projects, planned in the next five years to replace and refurbish major components of the 20 year old WSR-88Ds and to keep the radars operational into the 2030s. The $150M investment is being made by the three organizations that use these radars, the NOAA National Weather Service, United States Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration. The other service life extension projects include refurbishing the transmitter, pedestal, and equipment shelters.