Know your Radar
When you look at the South Point Radar you are not getting the whole 360 degree picture. Most of East Hawaii, where most people live is only covered by radar at a 10k foot level. As small as it may seem this lack of coverage couldn’t be at a much worse place for the people who want to see what weather is coming their way by looking at the weather radar.
The lack of coverage unfortunately happens in an area that the majority of the time is the direction most of our weather comes from-NE. Many of the weather processes happen below 10k so I believe the radar is of limited use here. At least be aware of what you’re missing and is not being covered.
You can see for yourself what the radar coverage is at your house by clicking on this map. Click on the Zoom Out button located on the Middle Left of this map until Hawaii shows up;
http://gis.ncdc.noaa.gov/map/viewer/#app=cdo&cfg=radar&theme=radar&display=nexrad
Double click on the Big Island. Double click all the way until you get to your house. Now click on the Best box to show radar level coverage at 4k- this is the Best radar coverage, the Better box for radar coverage level at 6k and the Fair box for radar coverage level at 10k.
These boxes are under the Layer heading in the upper right side to show the radar coverage at your house. If you don’t see any shading then you don’t have weather radar coverage over your house..
With this map you can do this anywhere in the USA to determine the quality of the radar coverage at that location.
While I’m happy to have what we have I think it’s important to know it’s limitations. I’ve lobbied for a better radar location-ITO or Hilo International Airport. I tried to set up a field tour to the radar station in Kau but they couldn’t figure what we would want to see.
Funding is an issue and hard to argue that we need it when the chances of severe weather here are low. There are some technological breakthroughs coming and it’s possible that land based radar could become obsolete.
