BTU helps to bring the First Alert Weather Team a new and improved exclusive radar
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – A new high-resolution radar sits atop the tallest building on the Texas A&M Campus, giving the First Alert Weather Team the ability to monitor storms closer than ever before, and it is all thanks to BTU.
A collaboration between BTU, Climavision, Texas A&M University and KBTX has brought state of the art radar technology right to our backyard. This will be a game changer when it comes to monitoring storms and their impacts to the Brazos Valley.
While a national network of radars does exist, there are many holes, where large data gaps limit the ability of forecasters.
One of those gaps existed right here in the Brazos Valley. Prior to the instillation of this First Alert Radar, the closest radar scan was coming from KRGRK, a site 62 miles west of Bryan-College Station in Granger. KGRK provides scans every six minutes at a lower resolution, and by the time the scan reaches BCS, it is about 4,000 feet above the surface. That means we were missing out on crucial data from the lowest levels of the atmosphere.
This new radar provides high resolution scans every three minutes, with a beam height of only 300 feet. So, not only has it bridged a data gap, but it has footed the First Alert Weather Team the opportunity to provide more accurate and timely data from the first drop to the last rumble.
This is the only radar sourced here in Aggieland, covering all of the Brazos Valley, and your First Alert Weather Team has exclusive access to it. This will allow KBTX to keep you safer than ever before.
