Evansville granted Doppler radar

After a year of stormy debate, Congress approved a $5.5 million grant for a permanent Doppler radar facility to keep track of the weather in southwestern Indiana and adjacent areas in Kentucky and Illinois. \nBut not everyone is excited. \nThe closing of several radar facilities in 1996 left a hole in the weather coverage because the entire area is covered by one weather service in Paducah, Ky.\nSeveral other cities requested Doppler radar, but Evansville was the only city to be approved. The location for the permanent facility, to begin functioning within a year, has not been decided yet. \nMichael Jahr, spokesman for Congressman John Hostettler (R-8th), said it will be in the northern Vanderburg region or in the vicinity of Gibson County. \n"The existing system is not adequate for detection of tornadoes and severe weather in the area, and that is why Mr. Hostettler's office took up the issue, backed by the people and by science and sound reason," Jahr said. \nHostettler viewed it as a victory and the result of hard work, Jahr said.\n"An extensive investigation of the weather service issue in these regions was done by the Modernization Transition Committee responsible for overseeing the Modernization of the National Weather Service, and, after consulting with experts, it was felt that a new system was necessary." \nBut Wayne Hart, chief meteorologist of the Evansville WEHT weather service office, said he doubts the capacity of the new system. WEHT, an ABC affiliate, has a system to detect severe weather. \n"The new doppler is definitely an addition to the weather service and would serve as a positive purpose. But the problem seems to be that people are perhaps expecting a bit too much out of it. What they need to realize is that there are times when even after the installation of the new system, some tornadoes would go undetected." \nHart explained that short-term tornadoes, which come and go in a brief time period, are low-lying. Not even a Doppler radar in the immediate vicinity would be able to detect these in time to issue a warning, he said. \nHart said the radar would make a difference in the weather service because the radar waves of the current facility in Paducah enter the atmosphere at a height of about 9,000 feet, and any tornadoes or thunderstorms below that height would go undetected. \nNational Weather Service center region director Dennis McCarthy said many people tend to correlate the duration of the tornado with the destruction it causes, which is false. \nHe said a short-term tornado that hits densely populated areas could leave a wake of destruction, while tornadoes that have stayed on the ground for more than 60 miles have passed with little damage. \nHe denied any claims that the new system was not necessary and would not improve weather service.