The National Weather Service has announce the end of almost five months of work and the restoration of the radar at the Lake Charles office after being damaged by Hurricane Laura.
NWSThe National Weather Service has announce the end of almost five months of work and the restoration of the radar at the Lake Charles office after being damaged by Hurricane Laura.
Crews from the NEXRAD Radar Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma, had been working on the radar station since September after it was severely damaged by the Category 4 Laura.
The radar was put back into operation Friday, where it will help the Lake Charles office gather data for forecasts and warnings for six counties in Southeast Texas, 16 parishes in southwest, south central and central Louisiana, and adjacent coastal waters.
“Weather radar imagery is flowing again, feeding weather forecasts and warnings and bringing back important public safety infrastructure to our Lake Charles community,” Roger Erickson, warning coordination meteorologist, said in a statement. “We are thankful to have the radar online before the peak of severe weather this spring.”
Technicians with NEXRAD were able to restore the radar nearly two months ahead of schedule, according to NWS, at a cost of $1.65 million.
All of the equipment inside the radar’s dome, including the antenna and pedestal, were replaced, along with repairs to the tower, fence, and equipment shelters. Workers had to operate around 65 feet above ground with heavy equipment weighing more than 8,000 pounds.
The Radar Operations Center is a tri-agency organization, funded and staffed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service, United States Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration. The center provides life-cycle management and support for all 159 NEXRADs across the country, U.S. territories and select locations overseas.
Laura —which made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, before heading north through Lake Charles — was the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. in 2020.
Winds were clocked up to 150 mph and storm surges were measured in excess of 15 feet in some areas, causing heavy damage along the coast. The storm caused 42 deaths and was the most costly weather disaster in 2020 with more than $19 billion in losses.
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