CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND)-The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) has signed a new tower lease to restore NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) WXJ-76 service to Champaign and Piatt counties.
Champaign and Piatt counties have had little to no NWR service since the previous tower became inoperable on Feb. 20, 2020.
DeWitt, Macon, and McLean were also affected, leaving them with a reduced level of service.
NWR alerts are a critical tool for many to warn them of severe weather – especially during sleeping hours and in rural areas out of range of siren towers.
According to NOAA, the next step is for a structural analysis to be done soon to ensure the new tower location can support the NOAA Weather Radio Transmitter antenna and associated equipment. Once the structural analysis is done, NOAA will then execute the lease with the tower owner. Once the lease is executed, the installation of equipment can take place.
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis has been fronting the initiative since Mar. 4, 2020.
"Today NOAA has agreed to and signed a tower lease for a new Champaign NOAA Weather Radio. This news means we are one step closer to having life-saving weather radio service restored to Champaign and Piatt counties, among others," said Davis. "This is positive news, but there is still work to be done. NOAA has committed to working diligently to complete the tower inspection and install the equipment on the new tower in a timely manner."
