WTVM becomes latest station in U.S. to access high resolution radar service
Exclusive WTVM New Radar Fills Critical Coverage Gaps in Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Stewart, Marion, Sumter, Quitman, Randolph and Clay County Area
COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - WTVM announced today that it has become the latest station in the U.S. to access a revolutionary new Radar as a Service (RaaS) offering from climate tech leader, Climavision, filling a critical weather radar coverage gap in the West Georgia region. The station will have exclusive access to a high-resolution, dual-polarization X-band radar in the Columbus, Auburn, Opelika media market.
The West Georgia, East Alabama area, like many regions around the U.S., relies on the National Weather Service NEXRAD weather radar network. While the U.S. has the gold-standard of radar networks, there are still gaps in the region that the network doesn’t cover completely, putting areas at risk for missed warnings and vital weather updates. Filling in these blind spots is critical so that WTVM’s Storm Team 9 weather team has better visibility into volatile weather events such as flash floods, tornadoes, and frozen precipitation events that often happen in the lower atmosphere.
RaaS fills these critical observation gaps with the first-ever comprehensive, supplemental radar network, providing access to real-time, streaming radar. WTVM News Leader 9 has exclusive access to the system in the Columbus, Auburn, Opelika media market and can now seamlessly combine imaging of the RaaS radar and the existing NEXRAD radar network across all screens/platforms.
“We are all too aware of the significant threat severe weather can pose to life and property,” said WTVM News Director William McLain. “This radar service is yet another sign of our station’s commitment to providing accurate, timely and comprehensive coverage during major weather events.”
Radar as a Service harnesses the power of dual-pol, high-resolution X-band weather radars located in coverage gaps to provide critical lower-level atmosphere surveillance that is essential for meteorologists as they track severe weather in their viewing areas, particularly as extreme weather events are happening more often than ever before. As a changing climate leads to more frequent severe storms, accurate, timely local forecasts and real-time weather data have never been more important.
Radar as a Service (RaaS) is a revolutionary new gap-filling technology provided by Climavision, a climate technology company headquartered in Louisville, KY, with R&D operations in Raleigh-Durham NC. Climavision’s weather models, data, and numerical weather prediction products enable customers to make cost-effective and potentially life-saving decisions in real-time. They work with a variety of industries including agriculture, energy, drones, government, insurance, logistics, media, renewables, and transportation.
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