releases: https://www.jones.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-doug-jones-calls-on-noaa-nominee-to-prioritize-fixing-weather-radar-gaps-in-alabama
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.jones.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senator-doug-jones-calls-on-noaa-nominee-to-prioritize-fixing-weather-radar-gaps-in-alabama | Senator Doug Jones Calls on NOAA Nominee to Prioritize Fixing Weather Radar Gaps in Alabama | 2019-12-20 | 2019 | 2019-12 | Democrat | House | AL | Doug Jones | J000300 | www.jones.senate.gov | legacy | BIRMINGHAM U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) today wrote to Neil Jacobs, who has been nominated to serve as Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), to call attention to the gaps in weather radar capabilities in Alabama and to request a meeting on the issue before the Senate votes to confirm him. Jacobs currently serves as the acting NOAA Administrator. Senator Jones' office has worked with NOAA to bring attention to the need to expand radar coverage to areas that are not captured by NOAA's fleet of 160 Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD), particularly in Northwest and South Alabama. NEXRAD systems are no longer being built and new systems will not be ready for another 10-20 years, leaving many communities without the ability to adequately forecast and track storm systems. Alabama is particularly susceptible to damaging storms as was evidenced by the deadly tornadoes in Lee County last year. Closing radar gaps and providing better warning to communities will save lives in my state, wrote Senator Jones, who has been a strong advocate for disaster aid for Alabamians and has proposed legislation to improve preparedness. Since 2000, more than 300 Alabamians have died as a result of tornado-related injuries. Full text of Senator Jones' letter is below and a .pdf is available here. December 20, 2019 Neil Jacobs Acting NOAA Administrator National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1401 Constitution AvenueNW, Room 5128 Washington, DC 20230 Mr. Jacobs, thank you for your public service and your desire to serve as the next Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). NOAA supervises a fleet of 160 Next Generation Weather Radar(NEXRAD). NEXRAD provides coverage for much of the United States but there are gaps in this coverage that leave many communities, particularly in rural Alabama, vulnerable to fast-developing storms. This can be due to lack of coverage or due to inadequate coverage at the outer reaches of a NEXRAD system. NEXRAD systems are no longer being built, so communities that lack adequate NEXRAD coverage are currently left with few options to monitor incoming weather systems and alert residents to potential dangerous storms. The next generation of radar systems are currently not slated to go into service for another ten to twenty years, and in the meantime, many of my constituents are left without adequate radar coverage. They deserve better protection. I am writing today to request a meeting as part of your confirmation process. Over the past 18 months, my staff has engaged with NOAA and Senate staff on radar gaps that place communities in Northwest and South Alabama at risk. More than 300 Alabamians have died from tornado-related injuries since 2000. We have to do more to give these communities the notice they need to prevent this number from growing. It is my understanding that NOAA has been mandated by Congress to provide a report on coverage gaps but has yet to transmit this important document. Alabama is particularly susceptible to damaging storms as was evidenced by the deadly tornadoes in Lee County last year. Closing radar gaps and providing better warning to communities will save lives in my state. I cannot support your nomination without assurances that NOAA will provide this report and commit to working with communities like those in Alabama to better predict and track devastating storms. I look forward to meeting with you. Sincerely, Doug Jones United States Senator ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |