Weather

NWS radar covering Charlotte temporarily down for service

Doppler radar

CHARLOTTE, NC — The National Weather Service says the NOAA doppler radar in Greenville-Spartanburg, SC is down through the end of the week for refurbishment of the transmitter.

The radar station is the primary one the National Weather Service uses to cover the Charlotte region.

In a news release, the NWS says the upgrade includes modern fuses and new cables to help keep the 22-year-old radar operating smoothly for another 20 years.

In the meantime, the NWS will be relying on adjacent radar stations in Columbia, the Charlotte airport, Raleigh, and in other states.

The good news if you are a WSOC Channel 9 viewer is we have our own doppler radar. Live Early Warning Doppler 9 will be running this week as expected rain moves through the area.

It has the same dual pol technology as the NWS radar, but with 33 percent more power. A million kilowatts of energy scans the city for severe weather every day, but most importantly, that radar is in Charlotte.

A storm can be seen from top to bottom and at a faster speed. Wherever a tornado may be forming, live early warning Doppler 9's spot in east Charlotte will catch it and catch it quickly, giving Charlotte residents more time to take action.