MINOT, N.D. (AP) - A Doppler radar in North Dakota should be adjusted to improve its storm detection capabilities, the National Weather Service said.
The service has recommended lowering the scan angle of the radar near Minot Air Force Base in Deering, which would allow the radar to detect storms at a lower altitude, The Bismarck Tribune reported.
The agency began studying the radar after a low-to-the-ground tornado went through Watford City on July 10 and highlighted gaps in its coverage.
The Minot radar is about 140 miles (225 kilometers) from Watford City. At that distance, the radar can detect storms that are forming about 12,000 feet (3,650 meters) above the city, said John Paul Martin, a warning coordination meteorologist for the weather service in Bismarck.
An engineering report suggests that lowering the radar’s scan angle would allow the radar to detect storms forming at about 11,000 feet (3,350 meters) above the city.
“Absolutely, it’s an improvement. The question is how significant of an improvement is it?” Martin said. “We’re not going to know for sure until the change is made and we see what it is.”
New software will be installed to implement the adjustment later this summer, he said.
McKenzie County’s emergency manager Karolin Jappe said she doesn’t believe the adjustment will lead to much improvement.
“In my heart, I don’t think it’ll do us any good whatsoever,” she said.
The weather service should instead invest in additional radars, Jappe said.
“I just think we need to do what’s best for the people and not put a Band-Aid on it, but really address the issue,” she said.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
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