Atlanta's weather radar no longer dark following two weeks offline

WABE's All Things Considered host Jim Burress and National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Nadler observe the nearly-complete new WSR-88D radar system in Peachtree City on Tuesday, August 8, 2022. (Lily Oppenheimer/WABE)

A critical weather radar system — which forecasters use to understand the severity and scope of threatening weather for the Atlanta region — is back up and running in Peachtree City after a nearly 2-week outage.

The WSR-88D radar tower is around the corner from Peachtree City’s Falcon Field airport. Down a dirt road running parallel to the railroad tracks and up a grassy incline, you’ll find what looks like a massive volleyball plopped on top of zig-zagging steel scaffolding. 

For about the past three decades, the radar inside has spun almost non-stop. Its job is to relay data to Atlanta’s National Weather Service office nearby about high-impact, hazardous weather. That includes everything from severe thunderstorms to tornadoes to snow and everything in-between.