ABC11 First Alert Doppler Radar Net improves real-time weather picture for North Carolina forecasts

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- ABC11 rolls out new technology that will eliminate radar blind spots, revealing a more complete picture of severe weather as it moves through North Carolina.

Tracking storms with the ABC11 First Alert Weather Team is now better than ever before, thanks to the First Alert Doppler Net which launched Monday.

The new system included two brand new doppler radar sites which help make the radar picture across all of central North Carolina more clear.

Any single radar has an unavoidable problem: the Earth is not flat. A radar's beam of energy extends in a straight line, so no matter how powerful or precise that radar is, as the beam travels outward and the Earth curves away the radar can miss what's happening in the lower part of the atmosphere.

The First Alert Doppler Net helps eliminate this problem by adding more radars to fill in those blind spots farther away from the radar's center.

That means more ways to keep you and your family safe. Now, with three live radars, we will be able to see what's happening in every ABC11 viewer's neighborhood. Second-by-second sweeps will help us see into a storm first.

Plus, the ABC11 First Alert Doppler Net won't just show us where the storm is, it will tell us what's going on inside the storm with higher resolution. That feature can make the ABC11 picture up to 10 times clearer than current radar images.

Is it rain or snow? Is that hail or a tornado starting to spin? No matter what is happening, the ABC11 First Alert Weather Team will be able to see it first.

Finally, our commitment to keep you safe with this new network of doppler radars isn't just about today or tomorrow. This technology will help us tell you the best, and certified most accurate weather story for years to come!