Hurricane Delta May Make Landfall in 'Radar Hole' Along the Gulf Coast
Southwestern Louisiana is bracing for a strike from a powerful hurricane for the second time in less than two months as Hurricane Delta churns through the Gulf of Mexico. Delta is currently navigating the warm waters of the Gulf on a path eerily similar to the one deadly Hurricane Laura took in late August.
When Laura made landfall in southwestern Louisiana in late August, it left behind extensive damage, including to the radar system in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Radar is an essential tool for meteorologists as it provides real-time data about the weather, such as where precipitation is falling and estimated wind speeds above the ground.
The damage to the radar in Lake Charles was so severe that it is still out of commission. In late September, the National Weather Service (NWS) removed one of the crucial components of the radar to repair it, but it will be some time before it is back up and running.
Today, contractors removed the old pedestal from KLCH #wsr88d. It will be refurbished then reinstalled at KLCH once the other radar components are ready @NWSLakeCharles @NWS https://t.co/XBQ7G13hHl
— NEXRAD ROC (@NEXRADROC) September 29, 2020
Unfortunately, repairs will not be complete before the arrival of Hurricane Delta, which is forecast to make landfall along the coast of Louisiana on Friday. The next closest radar sites are located in New Orleans and Fort Polk, Louisiana, and Houston.
These three radars will still provide data about Delta as it approaches the Louisiana coast, but since they are farther away, they will not provide the same data that the radar in Lake Charles would if it were fully operational. An area that is not located near a radar is sometimes referred to as a ‘radar hole’ due to the weak coverage from the distant radars.
On Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service announced that the University of Oklahoma is sending a mobile radar to Lake Charles to help provide additional radar coverage along the coast of Louisiana. It is unclear how long this portable radar will remain in Louisiana.
Mobile radar on the way – U of Oklahoma’s Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (@oucimms) and @NOAA @NEXRADROC are deploying a mobile radar unit to Lake Charles, LA to provide additional radar coverage during Hurricane Delta. pic.twitter.com/Vx7cNeQEtl
— National Weather Service (@NWS) October 8, 2020
The forecasters at the Lake Charles office evacuated their office ahead of Laura's approach and didn't get to return to their building until late September. Meteorologists there said on Twitter that "full operational responsibility for the region" had resumed upon the office being reopened.
As of 8:00 AM this morning, NWS Lake Charles has resumed full operational responsibility for the region including forecasts, warnings and the general weather watch (minus the LCH radar which still needs a bit of work as you can see). pic.twitter.com/w079MK9MeW
— NWS Lake Charles (@NWSLakeCharles) September 25, 2020
In the interim, forecasting duties had been assumed by NWS meteorologists in Brownsville, Texas.
Delta is currently expected to roar ashore on Friday afternoon as a major hurricane (Category 3 strength or higher) and bring a life-threatening storm surge, flooding rain, and damaging winds.
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