EVERYTHING...DURING ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE TWO-WEEK STRETCHES
FOR WEATHER IN RECENT
MEMORY...THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE HAS
BEEN WITHOUT ONE OF
ITS CRITICAL RADAR SITES.
INFRASTRUCTURE
UPGRADES HAVE SILENCED
THE DOPPLER RADAR
COVERING SOUTHWEST
IDAHO THIS PAST
WEEK...IT'S EXPECTED TO
BE BACK ONLINE WITHIN
THE NEXT TWO.
AS JOE PARRIS FOUND
OUT...THOSE
IMPROVEMENTS
OUT...THOSE IMPROVEMENTS INVOLVED SOME HEAVY
LIFTING.
"YOU MAY HAVE DRIVEN
BY
BY THIS
BY THIS BIG BALL IN THE BOISE DESERT AND WONDERED WHAT IT IS, IT
IS ACTUALLY A RADAR,
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 24
YEARS THE TOP OF THIS
RADAR IS GOING TO COME
OFF OF ITS PEDESTAL SO
THAT CREWS CAN GET
INSIDE AND UPGRADE
EVERYTHING INSIDE OF IT."
"THE LAST TIME IT
WASN'T ON TOP OF IT
WAS AT INSTALLATION IN
1995."
NOW, FOR THE FIRST TIME
EVER, THIS 8,000 POUND
RADAR DOME IS COMING
DOWN.
"THIS IS QUITE A HUGE
PROJECT TO BE OUT HERE
TODAY, I'M REALLY
EXCITED TO SEE IT COME
OFF AND GET THAT LIFE
UP IN THE SYSTEM."
EARLY IN THE MORNING, A
SKILLED SQUAD STARTED
PREPARING IN THE DESERT
TO LIFT THE LARGE LID SO
A NEW RADAR PEDESTAL
COULD BE INSTALLED.
SOUNDS EXCITING, BUT
WHAT EXACTLY DOES THE
PEDESTAL DO? TRAVIS
MAYER WITH THE
NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE FILLS US IN.
"THE PEDESTAL HOLDS
THE MOTORS THAT SPIN
THE DISH AND SUPPORTS
THE ELEVATION ARMS
THAT RAISE AND LOWER
THE DISH."
THE TEAM LOCKED IN AND
SECURED ALL THE
SYSTEMS FOR THE HEAVY
LIFT. AND JUST LIKE THAT,
AFTER 2 DECADES OF
HOVERING ABOVE THE
DESERT LANDSCAPE, THE
DOME PREPARED FOR A
SLOW BUT SURE FLIGHT
FROM HIGH IN THE SKY
BACK DOWN TO EARTH.
NOW THE TEAM TURNS
IT'S FOCUS TO THE
PEDESTAL UPGRADE.
"WITH THESE NEW GEARS
AND MOTORS IT WILL
INCREASE THE RELIABILITY
OF THIS SYSTEM."
THE RADAR DISH ITSELF
REMAINS THE SAME, BUT
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
UPGRADE BENEATH THE
DOME WILL MAKE SURE
THE SYSTEM WILL STAY UP
AND RUNNING.
"WE ARE STILL GOING TO
GET THE SAME WEATHER
DATA AT THE OFFICE THAT
WE DID BEFORE, IT JUST
INCREASES THE
RELIABILITY OF THE
SYSTEM."
A RELIABLE SYSTEM THAT
WILL CONTINUE TO
PROVIDE RADAR DATA FOR
SEVERAL GOVERNMENT
AGENCIES, INCLUDING OF
COURSE, THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.
WHILE IT'S GETTING A
LITTLE REST ON THE
GROUND FOR NOW, THE
TRUSTY DOME WILL BE
BACK ON TOP BY THE END
OF THE DAY TO START A
NEW SHIFT HIGH ABOVE
THE DESERT.
JOE PARRIS, IDAHO'S
NEWS CHANNEL 7.
THAT RADAR SITE IS USED
BY SEVERAL GROUPS,
INCLUDING US.
OUR WEATHER TEAM
USES DATA FROM THAT
RADAR SITE TO HELP PUT
TOGETHER OUR WEATHER
FORECASTS.
FORECASTS.
RICK,
RICK, WE
RICK, WE WANTED TO ASK YOU, HOW DOES THE SITE BEING DOWN FOR THE
NEXT TWO WEEKS EFFECT
EVERYTHING FOR
FORECASTING?
FORECASTING?
WE
WE HAD
WE HAD PLENTY OF SUNSHINE THIS AFTERNOON. AND
RELEASING PREDATORS
SUNSHINE AS A MOVE ON
INTO THIS WEEKEND. TIME
TO TIME WILL SEE PARTLY
CLOUDY SKIES AND A
CHANCES OF AFTERNOON
THUNDERSTORMS. I EVEN
FOR THIS EVENING WE
STILL
STILL HAVE A CHANCE OF SOME THUNDERSTORMS FOR TONIGHT AND SOME
COULD STILL BRING SOME
LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN. BUT
THEY WILL BE MORE
WIDELY SCATTERED FOR
THIS EVENING SATURDAY
AND SUNDAY NIGHT
THAN WHAT THEY HAVE
BEEN FOR THE PAST
COUPLE OF NIGHTS. SO
WITH MORE SUNSHINE
THIS WILL ALLOW WERE
WARMING THAT'S GOOD
BE TAKEN PLACE AS A
MOVE ON INTO THE
WEEKEND. WHEN I COME
BACK I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT
TEMPERATURES THAT WILL
BE GETTING INTO THE 80S.