Glad I'm no longer dependent on Mobile weather radar:
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NOUS44 KMOB 271537
PNSMOB
ALZ051>060-261>266-FLZ201>206-MSZ067-075-076-078-079-291545-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MOBILE AL
1037 AM CDT THU MAY 27 2021
...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...
CONTACTS: NWS MOBILE, AL; SRH; NWS PUBLIC AFFAIRS
MAY 27, 2021
A PHYSICAL FAILURE ON THE MOBILE, AL, WSR-88D DOPPLER RADAR
OPERATED BY THE NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MOBILE, AL, HAS
RENDERED THE RADAR INOPERABLE AND IT WILL BE OUT OF SERVICE FOR
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. NWS WILL BEGIN REPAIRS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE,
WITH AN ESTIMATED RETURN TO SERVICE DATE IN MID-JUNE.
A TEAM FROM THE RADAR OPERATIONS CENTER (ROC) IN NORMAN, OKLAHOMA,
DETERMINED THIS WEEK THAT THE BULL GEAR, THE PRIMARY GEAR FOR
TURNING THE RADAR ANTENNA DISH, HAS FAILED. THE RADAR WILL BE OUT
OF SERVICE UNTIL THE BULL GEAR IS REPAIRED. TECHNICIANS FROM THE
RADAR OPERATIONS CENTER IN NORMAN, OK, WILL BE ON-SITE AT MOBILE
BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK TO BEGIN THE REPAIRS.
BECAUSE THE NEXRAD NETWORK WAS DESIGNED TO HAVE OVERLAPPING
COVERAGE, THE MOBILE AREA WILL HAVE DATA AVAILABLE FROM
SURROUNDING RADARS, INCLUDING NEXRADS FROM NWS SLIDELL/NEW
ORLEANS, NWS JACKSON, MS, NWS BIRMINGHAM, AL, MAXWELL AIR FORCE
BASE (AFB), FT. RUCKER, AND EGLIN AFB.
OUR NATIONS'S 159 NEXRAD UNITS HAVE BEEN IN USE SINCE 1992, WITH
AN ORIGINAL LIFESPAN OF 20 YEARS. THROUGH THE SERVICE LIFE
EXTENSION PROGRAM (SLEP), NOAA WILL EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE NEXRADS
THROUGH AT LEAST 2035. THE SLEP ACTIVITIES CONSIST OF FIVE
PROJECTS TO REPLACE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE RADAR: SIGNAL
PROCESSOR, TRANSMITTER, SHELTERS, GENERATOR, AND PEDESTAL.
MOBILE, AL, HAS RECEIVED ALL OF THE SLEP ACTIVITIES EXCEPT THE
PEDESTAL REFURBISHMENT, WHICH IS PLANNED FOR EARLY 2023. THE
PEDESTAL REFURBISHMENT WILL STILL BE NEEDED, AS IT IS A COMPLETE
REPLACEMENT OF ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS, IN ADDITION TO THE BULL GEAR
COMPONENT OF THE PEDESTAL ASSEMBLY.
THE RADARS ARE SUPPORTED BY THREE FEDERAL AGENCIES: NOAA NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE, UNITED STATES AIR FORCE, AND THE FEDERAL AVIATION
ADMINISTRATION. THE RADAR OPERATIONS CENTER PROVIDES LIFECYCLE
MANAGEMENT AND SUPPORT FOR ALL WSR-88DS.
FOR A RADAR MOSAIC LOOP FOR THE REGION:
HTTPS://RADAR.WEATHER.GOV/
THIS STATEMENT WILL BE UPDATED WHEN NEW INFORMATION IS RECEIVED ON
RADAR STATUS. FOR ADDITIONAL LOCAL INFORMATION YOU MAY CONTACT
JEFF MEDLIN, THE METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE (MIC) AT NWS MOBILE, AL,
BY EMAIL AT JEFF.MEDLIN@NOAA.GOV.
$$
JLH |