More details on Action 8’s new Lifesaver Radar in Wilcox County
Action 8 is the most fully-equipped TV station in our area for severe weather coverage with the introduction of our second Lifesaver Radar system, which is in Wilcox County.
This new system in the town of Pine Hill joins the Lifesaver Radar that was installed last year near the Alabama-Mississippi state line, west of Demopolis.
LEARN MORE ABOUT LIFESAVER RADAR NEAR ALABAMA-MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE
Together, they close what has been known as the “radar gap” in West Alabama, where thousands of families didn’t have adequate radar coverage because government radars were too far away.
This image shows the radar gap in West Alabama. Government radars are too far away to provide adequate coverage in several of our local counties. — Graphic from WAKA Action 8 News
That problem has been talked about for years, but very little progress was ever made. That’s why Action 8 and our parent company Bahakel Communications, LTD., of Charlotte, North Carolina, decided to do something. We are joined by the Johnny Adams Law Firm, which is supporting this project because of the importance to public safety.
RESIDENTS, LOCAL LEADERS EXPRESS THANKS FOR ACTION 8’S NEW LIFESAVER RADAR IN WILCOX COUNTY
This project has taken nearly three years to complete.
The two radar units are from Climavision, a Kentucky-based company that is working to close radar gaps across the country. The radars were built in Alabama.
This image shows how the two Action 8 Lifesaver Radar systems close that gap with never-before-seen radar coverage. — Graphic from WAKA Action 8 News
These radars operate on the X-band and are specially designed to see the lower levels of the atmosphere where tornadoes form. They have 10 times the resolution of the government radars, so what you see on TV and what our Action 8 meteorologists will see will have much greater detail.
Action 8 will use these two radars along with the government radars. That gives us two extra sets of eyes in West Alabama that no other TV station can match. But the benefits aren’t just limited to West Alabama. If you live anywhere in our area, you’ll be able to see what’s on those radars to give yourself extra time for the storms that are coming from the west.
Watch the video above to see more about how these two Lifesaver Radars work from Action 8 Chief Meteorologist Shane Butler and meteorologists Ben Lang and Christopher Mathis.
Then be looking for Lifesaver Radar in our weathercasts from now on. We are constantly working to improve our severe weather coverage at Action 8.
