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Paducah radar down for repairs

weather.gov

The National Weather Service in Paducah says its doppler radar is shut down for repairs – in the midst of severe storm season. 

Meteorologist Ricky Shanklin said in an email that an engineering team from the Radar Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma, determined that the primary gear for turning the radar antenna – known as the bull gear -- had failed.

Shanklin said the repair will require 12,000 to 15,000 pounds of equipment and a six-person team from the ROC to restore the radar.

The team anticipates repairs being completed during the next couple of weeks with the radar returning to service by May 11th.

During the downtime, Shanklin said adjacent supporting radars will keep an eye on the sky, including the Evansville radar near Cynthiana, and radars at Ft. Campbell, St. Louis, and Indianapolis.

The Paducah radar is 23 years old and part of a network of 159 operational radars.