Crews replace a 26,000-pound pedestal to help radar work better
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — It wasn’t the typical workday for folks at the National Weather Service in New Braunfels.
The facility provides radar data for Austin and San Antonio and after 25 years, that radar got a major upgrade Thursday.
“This dome behind me has not been lifted off this radar since it was installed in 1995,” says Aaron Treadway, NWS Meteorologist.
“This radar has seen the Jarrell E-5 tornado in 1997, has seen big floods like the 1998 flood. We’ve seen ice storms — so this radar has been through a lot and it’s just a much needed facelift,” he says.
Treadway says that radar works overtime during those events, scanning the atmosphere about every minute to send data back to the facility and information back to you.
“It helps us get the warning out faster to be able to see that tornado circulation,” Treadway says.
He says lifting the 8,000-pound dome and replacing the 26,000-pound pedestal inside is long overdue.
“It’s just going to make the different components of the radar work better because they’ve been fully refurbished,” Treadway says.
The procedure was funded by a nationwide, $135-million dollar grant from the NWS, the Department of Defense and the Federal Aviation Administration, which uses the New Braunfels radar for the the Austin and San Antonio airports.
“We’re one of the first actually here in Texas to get this upgrade,” Treadway says.
He says the four-and-a-half-hour operation isn’t expected again for at least another decade.
“Hopefully doubling the life of this radar before some new technology comes along or they have to do another upgrade like this,” he says.
Crews will now have to re-install some pieces and test the new equipment to ensure data quality before restoring service.
So, although the radar is replaced, it’s still out of commission until sometime next week.
In the meantime, the service area will be getting that data from nearby radars, like one in Williamson County.
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