Despite new radar, SE Kansas remains in blind spot
May 5, 2014
(JOPLIN, Mo., AP) — An E-F2 tornado that left mounds of debris, twisted metal and hanging power lines along a two-block-wide path through Baxter Springs, Kansas, last month wasn’t big enough to be detected by a new radar at the National Weather Service office in Springfield.
The Joplin Globe (http://bit.ly/1hrTo3y) reports new dual-polarization radar installed in Springfield and Tulsa has greatly enhanced forecasters’ ability to detect tornados. But even with the technology there’s a blind spot in southeast Kansas because of the curvature of the earth.
That makes trained weather spotters even more critical in providing early warning when severe storms approach.