NEW ORLEANS — Meteorologists at the New Orleans Branch of the National Weather Service are always paying close attention to the forecast to keep you safe.
“We issue warnings, and that’s what we do,” National Weather Service Senior Meteorologist Robert Frye said. “We protect life and property.”
But soon, their information will be coming from a different place, as the KLIX radar makes a move west.
“Moving the radar will better help us see not only the New Orleans area, but also Baton Rouge.” Frye said. “We’ll be able to see much further down in the atmosphere, so that we have a better understander of what’s going on closer to the ground, so our warnings will be more accurate and more effective.”
Slidell has been home to the radar since 1994, but next week it heads to Hammond.
“Now, that's important because things like tornadoes are easier to detect lower to the ground,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Lauren Nash said. “So, we realized that with this little move to the west, and also a little bit of a change in the way we scan. So, we're going to tilt it down.”
The KlIX radar is expected to be down from November 27 to March of next year. In the meantime, the National Weather Service will use satellites out of Mobile, Jackson, Lake Charles, and Armstrong International Airport to monitor the weather.
“We’re just going to have to do a little bit of different calculations ahead,” Nash said. “But we're still going to we still feel pretty confident that we're going to be able to provide the same level of service that we always have.”
And anytime there’s a possibility of severe weather, experts say to play it safe and have a plan.
“We are prepared for anything that may come our way,” Director of Public Information for Saint Tammany Parish Government Micheal Vinsanau said. “And that's really the most important message. You know, we're telling our citizens, you need to prepare, prepared, stay home, make sure your family, your elderly neighbors or your children, they know of your game plan.”