Radar Operations Center

About Us

In 1988, the NEXRAD Agencies established the WSR-88D (Weather Surveillance Radar - 1988 Doppler) Radar Operations Center (ROC) in Norman, Oklahoma. The ROC employees come from the National Weather Service, Air Force, FAA, and support contractors. The ROC provides centralized meteorological, software, maintenance, and engineering support for all WSR-88D systems. WSR-88D systems will be modified and enhanced during their operational life to meet changing requirements, technology advances, and improved understanding of the application of these systems to real-time weather operations. The ROC also operates WSR-88D test systems for the development of hardware and software upgrades to enhance maintenance, operation, and provide new functionality.

Weather Surveillance Radars are used to warn the people of the United States about dangerous weather and its location. The 159 operational WSR-88D systems deployed throughout the United States and select overseas locations help provide long range, accurate data through strong weather, which can be used by meteorologists to warn the public to take shelter in a timely manner. The maximum range of the WSR-88D is 430 km (~250 nautical miles.) The NEXRAD network provides significant improvements in severe weather and flash flood warnings, air traffic safety, flow control for air traffic, resource protection at military bases, and management of water, agriculture, forest, and snow removal.

Department of Commerce		Department of Defense		Department of Transportation