Doppler Radar Upgrade | Video

Henry Blakes | 8/3/2012

The weather plays a major role in our lives. It controls what we eat, what we wear and how we travel. Sometimes it can be difficult to predict where storms will develop, but some new technological enhancements could make things a lot easier.

From light and fluffy, to dark and gloomy, you can see all different types of clouds move across the Great Plains. With a new radar upgrade, meteorologists now have the ability to look beyond the shapes and colors of clouds and get a better picture of the activity happening within.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Bismarck say the enhancements to their doppler radars will be a benefit to everyone.

"We recently upgraded our National Weather Service Doppler radar to be what we call Dual Polarization, and it allows us to see a lot more within the clouds than we`ve ever been able to," said Josh Scheck with the National Weather Service.

Traditional doppler radars gather information by sending a horizontal pulse of energy into the air. With the new upgrade, called Dual Polarization, the radar can now emit the signal both horizontally and vertically. Which means the weather service will be able to give better estimations of the size and shape of raindrops, hailstones and snowflakes.

"This will certainly enhance our ability to provide more detailed information about severe weather," Scheck said.

So you can be better prepared for whatever Mother Nature has up her sleeve.

The Dual Polarization upgrade is finished in Bismarck and Minot. Upgrades to the radar in Glasgow, Montana should be complete by the end of the month.

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