National Weather Service upgrades with Dual Pol system

(WICHITA, Kan.) — By the time we see rain again, we may be able to see it better.

The National Weather Service in Wichita will install an upgraded radar system this month.  It is called Dual Pol -- because the radar will now scan storms horizontally for precipitation, in addition to vertically.

Those upgrades will make it easier to see what precipitation is falling from the sky, and where those changes happen.

"It - the radar - allows us to see tumbling of raindrops or hail stones," said Dick Elder, the Meteorologist-in-Charge at the National Weather Service.  "It can tell the difference between a rain drop and a flake of snow."

Wichita will be the third site in the nation with the new technology.  It should be up and running by the middle of the month.