The Williston area and all of the Northern Plains experiences harsh weather and fierce storms that spring up at times with little warning. One line of defense to help protect people from getting caught unaware by bad weather is a reliable local radar system that provides timely information.

Reliable radar is something U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., is committed to having in the Williston area. Dorgan added language in the Senate’s annual Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Bill last week to provide funding for the Williston Radar Station for the fiscal year 2010.

Dorgan said the Williston radar station involves an older radar system that began to be phased out in the 1990s. The National Weather Service began to modernize its radar systems with Doppler Radar and other newer technologies.

He said the Williston station was to be shut down, with radar from locations 40 and 126 miles away being beamed into the area to provide service.

“Because of the high angle they shoot that beam at, it really misses the mark. They admitted that it’s not as well covered that way,” said Dorgan. At the National Weather Service center in Bismarck, meteorologist in charge Jeff Savadel said the issue with the Williston radar system came about in the 1990s when the modernization process began.

“There were concerns at the time about the deterioration of their services. Currently they use what’s called the WSR-74C band radar,” said Savadel.

The WSR-74C band radar system was developed in 1974. They began to be phased out in the 1990s and the Williston radar is one of eight still being used today.

In March 1998, the Commerce secretary at the time announced plans to stop its shutdown. Through language added by Dorgan to the budget each year, the station has remained open with the intent of providing adequate coverage until equal or better coverage can be provided by other means.

Dorgan said he told the people at the weather service that unless a better system or way to maintain Williston-area coverage was found, he would make sure it stays open.

“We’ve had a kind of stand-off ever since. To be honest, I don’t know if they have a solution,” said Dorgan.

Dorgan said with the intense storms that can arrive without warning and the danger they could pose to people, farms and livestock, settling for lesser radar coverage is simply not an option.

“I’m just stubborn enough to say to them that northwestern North Dakotans deserve to have the same level of coverage as the rest of the country,” said Dorgan.