Soon communities in Lamar County and its surrounding areas will benefit heavily from a newly placed Baron Radar radome about 50 miles northwest of Paris when severe weather strikes.
Tuesday afternoon the Baron Radar radome was placed on top of the Cardinal Glass water tower in Durant, Oklahoma. Once installed and training is done, the radar will help better serve areas surrounding it come storm season. It’s expected to be up and running in about 2-3 weeks, according to Durant Emergency Management.
According to Texas Storm Chasers, “The lowest radar beam height from current radars around Paris, TX is about 14,000 above the ground. This new radar will drop that down to around 4,000 feet above the ground – helping detect strong low-level rotation – and greatly increase the detection of tornadoes.”
The City of Durant was awarded $1.6 million grant for the new Doppler Radar System back in July 2021. This grant covered the costs to purchase and manage the new doppler radar system, giving people in the Texoma region more lead time during severe weather events.
According to the Durant Emergency Management, the new system will close a coverage gap for citizens within an 85-mile radius of Durant. Storm spotters have helped in filling the gap, especially during tornado warnings.
The nearest public access doppler radar was in the DFW area and Oklahoma City. This created a delay in receiving weather radar because the National Weather Service couldn’t see below 11,000 feet, and Durant was just outside of this range.
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