Weather Forecasting: Radars Far Superior to Predecessors, but
Location and Availability Questions Remain. Testimony, 10/17/95,
GAO/T-AIMD-96-2.

GAO discussed the National Weather Service's (NWS) Next Generation
Weather Radars (NEXRAD). GAO noted that: (1) NWS, the Air Force, and the
Federal Aviation Administration are jointly acquiring NEXRAD and have
already deployed 132 NEXRAD at a cost of about $1.2 billion; (2) NEXRAD
are replacing forty year old technology and offer increased coverage
clarity and warning time for severe storms; (3) although NWS plans to
provide improved national radar coverage, it has not decided where to
relocate the NEXRAD network; (4) NEXRAD are not currently meeting Air
Force and NWS availability requirements, due to insufficient monitoring
and a lack of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS); and (5) in September
1995, NWS targeted funds for the necessary retrofit of UPS to purchase
two NEXRAD.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-AIMD-96-2
     TITLE:  Weather Forecasting: Radars Far Superior to Predecessors, 
             but Location and Availability Questions Remain
      DATE:  10/17/95
   SUBJECT:  Radar equipment
             Weather forecasting
             Storms
             Warning systems
             Federal procurement
             Interagency relations
             Emergency preparedness
             Funds management
             Computer networks
             Site selection
IDENTIFIER:  California
             NWS Next Generation Weather Radar
             Caribbean
             Alaska
             Hawaii
             
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