Reducing Impact of Douglas County Weather Radar Gap

Beginning January 1, designated Douglas County public safety officials will have access to an x-band high resolution weather radar. This x-band weather radar can see low-level snow, rain and tornado activity moving into the area.

There are 72 out of 87 counties, including parts of Douglas County, that fall into a weather radar gap. These areas are locations where the National Weather Service NEXRAD-S band radars are unable to provide low altitude coverage.  Emergency managers in Grant and Kandiyohi Counties began working with a company called Climavision to help fill that gap.

“This collaboration with Climavision is a significant step forward in addressing low-level radar coverage gaps that have been a concern for emergency managers and sheriffs across the state,” said Tina Lindquist, Grant County Emergency Management Director.

In October, Climavision installed an x-band radar on the water tower in Wendell, Minnesota, a small town in western Grant County. A second x-band radar is anticipated in early 2024 in or near Kandiyohi County. Using images captured by that radar and provided by Climavision, trained public safety personnel will be able to see lower-level storms. They can share that information with the National Weather Service, trained weather spotters, and county staff to make the best decisions about emergency response and resource deployment. All weather watches and warnings will continue to come from the National Weather Service.

“This will be a very valuable tool for the sheriff’s office and our emergency manager,” said Douglas County Sheriff Troy Wolbersen. “Together we’ll be able to view the localized radar which will show us what can’t currently be seen on even the best radars available online and on phone apps. This could help us save lives.”

The pilot project provides the x-band radar at no cost to public safety officials for 2024. This will allow for time to evaluate the effectiveness of the radar and the potential for expanded partnerships.

"We are proud to collaborate with the emergency managers and public safety and contribute our expertise to enhance radar coverage,” said Tara Goode, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Radar Operations for Climavision. “This project exemplifies the power of public-private partnerships in advancing emergency preparedness."