Storm radar taken offline for repair

The doppler radar that monitors for thunderstorms across the Black Hills came offline on Monday for a two-week rebuild project. A storm that brought hail the size of tennis balls and 80 mph wind gusts last month caused serious damage to the dome that impacted up to 80% of the 70 panels on the dome.

The new radome is necessary to protect the radar dish and sensitive electronics. If another thunderstorm hit the radar, the dome could collapse or rain could enter the dome and cause much more serious damage,” said Rapid City Electronics Systems Analyst Pat Baye.

The Rapid City National Weather Service’s WSR-88D Doppler Radar is located near New Underwood. The project is expected to take around two weeks.

“We waited to do this work until after the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. We needed our radar available during the rally to monitor for thunderstorms with so many people across the Black Hills region,” said Rapid City Meteorologist-in-Charge Dave Hintz.

“Our thunderstorm season is starting to wane, and the forecast for the next couple of weeks is for below normal precipitation. Our forecasters can monitor any storms that do develop with satellite data, ground station observations, and our spotter network.”

During the period in which the radar is offline, it will still be possible to access images from the radars in Bismarck, ND, Aberdeen, SD, North Platte, NE and Cheyenne, WY at radar.weather.gov.