KELO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Sioux Falls, SD, recently replaced one of its three Doppler radars with the first Guardian weather radar in the upper Midwest.
Guardian, a megawatt dual-polarization broadcast radar system from Baron Services, features 256 color levels, high resolution and hydrometeor classification. KELO-TV is the seventh TV station in the country to implement Baron’s polarimetric technology. Headquartered in Huntsville, AL, Baron Services has installed every dual-polarization radar system for broadcasting to date.
KELO-TV, which owns and operates three full-power Doppler radars, uses them as a network to bring advanced warning to its extended coverage area. Unlike conventional Doppler radar systems, which transmit solely a horizontal beam, Baron’s Guardian radar emits horizontal and vertical energy, more easily detecting specific precipitation types. The new KELO-TV radar allows KELO-TV meteorologists to identify where and what type of precipitation is falling at the neighborhood level, sweep by sweep, across the station’s coverage area.
Since implementing dual-polarization technology, KELO-TV meteorologists have received improved weather detail, achieved higher resolution imaging and increased the accuracy and precision of their forecasting. The improved accuracy the dual-polarization radar produces will help the station better inform viewers during weather emergencies like tornadoes, severe thunderstorms as well as snow and ice storms.
For more information, visit www.keloland.com/weather/dopplerhd and www.baronservices.com.
