Paducah radar upgrade this week

...KPAH Radar Will Be Down For Major Upgrade...

The weather radar used by the National Weather Service Forecast
Office in Paducah Kentucky, KPAH, will be down for approximately
four days beginning Monday July 10th for technicians to install an
important technological upgrade. The work on the WSR-88D has been
scheduled to minimize any potential impacts to office operations.

During the outage, radar coverage is available from adjacent radar
sites including Owensville Indiana (KVWX), Ft Campbell (KHPX),
Louisville Kentucky (KLVX), Memphis Tennessee (KMEG), and St Louis
Missouri (KLSX).

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 the 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.