NSSL researchers will soon begin adapting SPY-1 radar technology currently deployed on Navy ships for use in spotting severe weather. Early tests of the phased array radar system have proved promising, and the technology has the potential to vastly improve the NEXRAD system for all weather radar applications.

Using multiple beams and frequencies that are controlled electronically, phased array radar reduces the scan time of severe weather from six minutes for NEXRAD radar to only one minute, producing quicker updates of data and thereby potentially increasing the lead time for tornado warnings well beyond the current average of 11 minutes. Other technology being developed at NSSL will extend lead times even farther.

A National Weather Radar Testbed is being established at NSSL, which will provide the first surveillance phased array radar facility available on a full-time basis to the radar meteorological research community. The new system will be able to scan the atmosphere with more detail at lower elevations than current radar allows. It will also be able to re-scan areas of severe weather very quickly, improving forecasters? warning capability. In addition, the new technology will gather storm information not currently available, such as rapid changes in wind fields, to provide forecasters with better conceptual storm models and to initialize stormscale forecast models.

A unique federal, private, state and academic partnership will develop the phased array radar technology. Participants include NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory and National Weather Service Radar Operations Center, Lockheed Martin, U.S. Navy, University of Oklahoma's School of Meteorology and School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Basic Commerce and Industries. The project - from research and development to technology transfer and deployment throughout the U.S. - is expected to take 10 to 15 years at an initial cost of approximately $25 million for the facility in Norman.

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• National Weather Radar Testbed construction
  • Photos of dome installation
  • Time lapse video Nov 4-Apr 25 includes ribbon cutting ceremony (44 mb)
  • Ribbon Cutting highlights

This page last updated June 6, 2003.