New ‘x-band’ radar in Wendall expected to bring more accurate weather data to several neighboring counties

FARGO (KFGO) – After about a year of research and planning, a new weather radar site will soon go online in west-central Minnesota.   

The site should fill gaps in radar coverage in parts of several counties.   

Grant County Emergency Manager Tina Lindquist says she worked with other emergency managers, a retired national weather service meteorologist and Louisville, Kentucky-based “climavision” to bring the “x-band” radar to Wendell, Minnesota, northwest of Elbow Lake, where it sits on top of the water tower. 

“Climavision is a private company and we were able to work with them,” said Lindquist. “They had a radar ready to deploy and things just really started to gain momentum because there is zero cost to the county and zero cost to the city. We moved full steam ahead.”
Lindquist says the radar has a radius of about 60 miles and will be most helpful during the spring and summer severe weather season in Grant, Otter Tail, Douglas, Pope, Stevens and Traverse Counties.   

Lindquist says Wendell is considered a pilot project and added the real-time information will be shared with emergency management and other government agencies. 

Another radar site is planned for Kandiyohi County next year.   

The meteorologist-in-charge of the weather service in Grand Forks says the radar will be useful in providing coverage to areas that are out of reach of the weather service “nexrad” sites. 

Story by Paul Jurgens / KFGO