The National Weather Service in Missoula is working with some new technology that is expected to significantly improve forecasting in Western Montana. 

The agency recently completed a seven-day upgrade project on its Doppler radar on 8,000-foot Point Six Mountain about seven miles north of Missoula.

The new dual polarization, or dual-pol, radar will provide meteorologists with better information about the atmosphere and enhance their ability to track storms. In the winter, the radar will help forecasters pinpoint where rain turns to snow, sleet or freezing rain, improving the accuracy and timeliness of winter storm and blizzard warnings.

“Before, when the radar beam went out and hit a bird, a raindrop, or a snowflake, it was looking at it on the flat, horizontally,” explained Bruce Bauck, the meteorologist-in-charge at the Missoula forecast office. “With the upgrade, we can look at the same raindrop from a vertical view, too. So we have a horizontal and vertical view that allows us to much more efficiently assess the intensity and type of precipitation.”

The full dimension view is expected “to really help us in determining where the very intense rainfall is occurring in storms,” Bauck added, and that should help in predicting potential for runoff, rain-fueled landslides and other weather events that cause damage.

“Weather causes some of worst damage to U.S. infrastructure than anything,” said Bauck, who cited last month’s large rain-caused debris slides on Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road as an example.   

Dual-pol upgrades also are being activated for Great Falls, Billings and Glasgow as part of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration initiative to build a “Weather-Ready Nation.”

NOAA estimates the effort could save the country about $700 million annually by reducing weather-related damages. 

Reporter Jim Mann may be reached at 758-4407 or by email at [email protected].