Doppler radar gives meteorologists greater view of area storms

ELBURN – Severe weather could hit the area in the blink of an eye – but ABC 7 Chicago has a new safety tool north of Elburn.

Since going live with it March 21, ABC 7 Chicago is the first commercial TV station in the country to own a dual polarization S-band Doppler radar.

Given the name LIVE Doppler 7 MAX, the new, state-of-the art Doppler radar – located in unincorporated Kane County – will be able to track approaching storms in real time, zooming in street by street, and will be able to see additional storms hiding behind oncoming storms.

Before this Doppler was installed, the S-band frequency was available only to the National Weather Service and the military.

The new Doppler gives the meteorologists at ABC 7 a much more accurate and faster approach of tracking storms rather than relying on the National Weather Service, which always had a three- or four-mile inaccuracy by the time it got to Chicago, officials said.

Most Doppler radars in the country run off an S-band frequency, which only shows the approaching storm, but not the oncoming storm behind it. So those meteorologists rely on the National Weather Service’s S-band Doppler because that’s all they have access to, unless they get their own – which is what ABC 7 decided to do.

“Chicago has all kinds of severe weather,” ABC 7 meteorologist Jerry Taft said. “It could be thunderstorms, tornadoes, snow, sleet or ice; but we wanted to be able to bring the most accurate reports we could. This Doppler is going to be able to allow us to do that.”

The station spent the cold winter months installing the Doppler to make sure it was up and running before the severe weather months started this spring. The total cost with the purchase of the land from Kane County and the Doppler itself – along with installation and labor – has been reported to be between $2 million and $3 million.

“I am happy that Kane County had the resources to help keep Chicagoland safer,” Kane County Board Chairman Chris Lauzen said.

With an eye on the skies at 150 feet in the air near Routes 47 and 64, the Doppler radar will be able to bring reports to the station every 45 seconds to one minute when needed during a storm. The antenna can be turned 45 degrees in either direction to actually tell the meteorologist what street the storm is crossing, Taft said.

“Viewers want to know three things when a storm is coming,” Taft said. “They want to know where the storm is, how fast it’s moving, and where it’s going. We can answer all three of these questions with complete accuracy now with this new Doppler.”

Built at Enterprise Electronics Corp. in Enterprise, Alabama, the LIVE Doppler 7 MAX Radar uses dual polarization, which looks at the precipitation both horizontally and vertically to determine the type of precipitation falling, its weight and its shape. This technology has been available only for a couple years.

The LIVE Doppler 7 MAX Radar gives meteorologists a 3-D report on the storm. It helps meteorologists tell the difference between sleet and snow; and whether it’s precipitation or debris inside a tornado based on the weight, size and shape.

Viewers even can access the power of LIVE Doppler 7 MAX on their smartphone with the ABC 7 Eyewitness News app.