Here's Why One of Dallas-Fort Worth's Most Important Weather Radars Is Out of Service This Week

If a storm passes through North Texas, but there’s no weather radar to detect it, will it surprise the forecasters? This week, meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth can't rely on their trusty Doppler radar because it will be out of service. Every three to five years, radar systems require maintenance to extend their life and make sure that everything is working properly, said Steve Fano, a weather service meteorologist. The transmitter chassis, the radar’s framework, will be refurbished as part of the maintenance. “It spins constantly,” Fano said. “It never takes a break.”Delayed by scheduling issues and severe weather, the maintenance is now overdue, he said.“We try to delay it as much as we can because we don't like [the radar] being down,” Fano said.   Continue reading...