Radar gaps threaten millions as severe weather season ramps up in U.S.
The Weather Service has no more of its Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) systems available. NEXRAD, installed in the 1990s, “was a one-time government acquisition,” Maureen O’Leary, a Weather Service spokesperson, said in an email. That has communities affected by radar gaps searching elsewhere for solutions.
Rather than buying and maintaining their own radars, some TV stations and local governments have tapped into a service from weather tech start-up Climavision. The company has installed 24 radars in the United States since August 2022. The plan is for up to a dozen more by the end of this year and, eventually, more than 200 total throughout the country.
