"Radar on steroids" will soon cover Winneshiek County

A sample dual-pol radar image

A new type of weather radar will be installed at the National Weather Service's La Crosse Office in April.

NWS La Crosse spokesperson Todd Shea says the "dual polarization radar" will take much more detailed images of what is happening in storm systems.  Shea says the new technology will be especially important for monitoring what is happening with rain, hail and tornadoes.

The radar upgrade could begin as soon as April 12th, says Shea.  It will last approximately two weeks, during which time the La Crosse radar will be unavailable (although other NWS radar images, such as those from Davenport and Des Moines, will be available).

The upgrade uses a new technology called "dual-polarization," which looks at storms vertically as well as horizontally.

Shea says the new technology will result in 14 new radar products that will enable the La Crosse office to continue providing high quality weather information about Northeast Iowa, as well as Southeaster Minnesota and western Wisconsin. 

Shea cautions that the new technology "is not the magic bullet," but he does say it will help forecasters identify the type of precipitation that is falling.  Shea says the radar "Will give us more of a picture of what's happening," although he stresses that volunteer weather spotters in places like Winneshiek County are still a valuable part of keeping the public informed about severe weather.