The WSR-88D is one of the most powerful and advanced Weather Surveillance Doppler Radar in the world. Since first being built and tested in 1988, it has been installed and used operationally at over 160 locations across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Its technical name is WSR-88D (Weather Surveillance Radar, 1988, Doppler). NEXRAD detects precipitation and atmospheric movement or wind. It returns data which when processed can be displayed in a mosaic map which shows patterns of precipitation and its movement.

Maps, below, show existing radar locations and full volumetric coverage for all operation NEXRAD WSR-88D and TDWR sites. Beam heights were calculated using a standard atmospheric refractive index of 1.21 and the Half-Power Beamwidth. Associated terrain data were publicly available through USGS.

The Weather Surveillance Radar, 1988 Doppler (WSR-88D), also known as NEXRAD, is the most advanced operational weather radar in the world. The fleet of 159 WSR-88D radars operate 24/7 to support the weather warning and forecast missions of …

The Radar Operations Center provides the following WSR-88D Program Documents to the general public. You are free to view or download the document(s). Please Note: All of the documents, below, are in PDF format.

The WSR-88D is a software-driven stand alone system which detects, processes, displays, and distributes radar weather information. The system is primarily comprised of five (5) major groups of equipment.

The WSR-88D is the first integrated weather radar system incorporating advanced radar design, data processing, real-time dissemination to multiple users, networking and automated storm tracking, storm development trends and warnings.

Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) Weather Surveillance Doppler Radar (WSR)-88D Radar images from the network of WSR-88D radars are operated by the National Weather Service (NWS) across the U.S. These data can be used to provide information about the location of thunderstorms, which produce lightning.

RADAR Training & WSR-88D Information. Selected Active/Current Modifications. Webinars. Receiver Jobs Aids. Transmitter Job Aids. RADAR Reflectivity Discussion. Redundant Channel Switching - Distant MSCF. Residence Class Prerequisite Links to Other NEXRAD Information.

WSR-88Ds scan in elevation between the ranges of -0.2 degrees to a maximum of 19.5 degrees. With a transmit wavelength around 10 cm (3 GHz) and a peak power around 750 kW, the WSR-88D has a max range of 460 km for Reflectivity detection …