The weather radar in Riverton is getting an upgrade, and that means an outage while the work is being done. The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Riverton says the radar will be down for approximately five days beginning Monday, May 21st, until about May 25th while they refurbish the transmitter. Although the form, fit, and function of the transmitter will remain the same, they'll be replacing old breakers and cables that are original to the radar with modern fuses and cables, to help the 20-year old radar operate smoothly for another 20 years, according to a release.

More from the National Weather Service:

"This transmitter update is the second major project of the NEXRAD Service Life Extension Program, a series of upgrades and replacements that will keep our nation's radar viable into the 2030's. The $150 million investment (across the four upgrades) is being made by the three organizations that use these radars - the NOAA National Weather Service, United States Air Force, and Federal Aviation Administration. The two remaining projects are the refurbishments of the pedestal and equipment shelters. The Service Life Extension Program will be complete in 2022."

The National Weather Service says during the outage, some radar coverage is available from adjacent radar sites including Pocatello, ID; Billings, MT; Salt Lake City, UT; and Cheyenne, WY.

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