Safe from the Storm: What are the advantages of Action 8’s Lifesaver Radar?
Action 8 has two Climavision radar systems covering West Alabama. What are the advantages to having those systems to people in that part of the state and elsewhere when severe weather threatens?
One radar is near the Alabama-Mississippi state line to provide coverage to Demopolis and other areas in that part of the state. The other is in the Wilcox County town of Pine Hill, covering southwest part of Alabama.
Together, the two radars provide an enhanced layer of protection and offer a way to provide earlier warnings to the east, including Montgomery.
Here’s what makes the Livesaver Radar systems different than the government-owned radars that have existed for decades:
When tornadoes develop, they form close to the ground, not thousands of feet above it. Traditional long-range radars operated by the government can sometimes overshoot storms because of distance and the curvature of the Earth. That means the farther a storm is from a government radar site, the higher the beam scans — potentially missing low-level rotation.
That created a “radar gap,” which existed for years over West Alabama. Existing radars couldn’t see what was happening close to the ground because they were too far away.
Plenty of people talked about the problem, but no one found a way to fix it.
That all started to change two years ago.
That’s when Action 8 joined with Climavision to fill that gap with specially-designed radar systems.
These high-resolution radars scan storms at lower levels, closer to where tornadoes actually form. That means clearer detection of rotation, better identification of damaging winds and potentially more lead time during severe weather.
Action 8 is the only station that can bring you Lifesaver Radar coverage. No other station has access to this critically important data.
DETAILS ABOUT LIFESAVER RADAR
- Lifesaver Radar is exclusive to WAKA Action 8, with systems in Wilcox County and near the Alabama-Mississippi state line
- Lifesaver Radar is an addition to government radars you already know
- Lifesaver Radar has 10 times the resolution, so you’ll see storms more clearly
- Lifesaver Radar scans lower levels of the atmosphere, areas that distant radars often miss
- Lifesaver Radar has the first look at storms incoming from the west, giving everyone an earlier warning
You can see that same radar data anytime on WAKA.com and through the WAKA Weather App.
Download the free Action 8 weather app: iPhone – Android
Because when storms threaten our area, better information isn’t just helpful. It’s protection.
MORE DETAILS ON NEW ACTION 8 LIFESAVER RADAR IN WILCOX COUNTY
RESIDENTS, LOCAL LEADERS EXPRESS THANKS FOR ACTION 8’S NEW LIFESAVER RADAR IN WILCOX COUNTY
LEARN MORE ABOUT LIFESAVER RADAR AT ALABAMA-MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE
