NWS Announces Radar Outage During Major Upgrade

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Paducah, KY
748 AM CST Wed Dec 2 2020

...NWS Announces outage of KHPX radar in Trenton, Kentucky during
major upgrade...

Beginning December 2, the KHPX WSR-88D, located in Trenton,
Kentucky, operated by NOAA`s National Weather Service in Paducah, KY
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.

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 radar 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 shelter. The Service Life Extension Program will
be complete in 2023.

During the downtime, adjacent radars will be available, including:
KOHX (Nashville, TN), KPAH (Paducah, KY), KVWX (Evansville, IN),
KLVX (Louisville, KY) and KNQA (Memphis, TN). For direct access to
any of these surrounding radar sites, visit the following web
page: https://radar.weather.gov

The KHPX WSR-88D is part of a network of 159 operational radar. The
Radar Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma provides lifecycle
management and support for all WSR-88Ds.

The National Weather Service in Paducah, KY can be found on social
media at http://www.facebook.com/NWSPaducah and at
http://twitter.com/NWSPaducah.

Contacts:
Steve Eddy, Meteorologist in Charge
steven.eddy@noaa.gov 270-744-6440 Ext. 642

Rick Shanklin, Warning Coordination Meteorologist
ricky.shanklin@noaa.gov 270-559-2724

$$