On Monday, Lamar County announced that its partner, Climavision, a climate-tech data pioneer, has nearly completed installing a new weather radar system in Reno, which will supplement weather coverage in between neighboring NEXRAD S-Band radars.
Because of regional topography and the nature of weather radar technology, gaps can exist between systems as the radar beam moves higher in the atmosphere the further it gets from the radar location. This leaves some areas, such as Lamar County, exposed to weather phenomena that often happens in the lower atmosphere such as flash flooding, sleet, ice, and tornadoes.
The dual-polarization, X-Band weather radar is designed specifically to fill these small gaps to provide the highest resolution view of what’s happening nearest to the ground. While all warnings and notices will continue to come through official National Weather Service channels, the system will provide critical visibility enabling forecasters and emergency officials to better plan, prepare, and respond to volatile weather situations.
“The safety of our citizens is our top priority. This installation will no doubt provide crucial information that will help protect lives and property in our area,” said Quincy Blount, Lamar County Emergency Management Coordinator.
Climavision’s X-Band weather radar is a proprietary high-resolution, solid state, system manufactured in the United States. It is safe and licensed by the FCC. Lamar County expects the system to be operational within 4-6 weeks with Emergency Management and government officials receiving access to the real-time data.
“We in Emergency Management are very grateful for the collaboration between Climavision and the Reno City Council to bring this powerful tool to our community so that we may provide more advanced warning to our citizens during hazardous weather situations,” stated Reno Police Chief Jeremy Massey.
About Climavision: Headquartered in Louisville, KY, Climavision installs weather infrastructure across the United States to fill gaps in information so that communities, governments, and businesses can better respond to increasingly volatile weather. In addition to installing physical hardware for real-time weather observation, Climavision also collects proprietary satellite data to produce high-performing numerical weather prediction and models. The company provides weather information to a variety of industries including aviation, media, agriculture, energy, government.
