POCATELLO, Idaho — Doppler radars are one of several resources meteorologists use to forecast the weather. The radars help find precipitation, like rain or snow, and determine where it's going. In Boise, the radar is at the Boise Airport, and the radar in eastern Idaho is in the Snake Plains in Pocatello.
Starting May 12, Pocatello's radar will be down for routine maintenance and will not be transmitting data. The National Weather Service in Pocatello says this work is crucial for the radar as it helps it keep its longevity.
While Pocatello could have trouble identifying possible precipitation, the overall impacts are minimal.
"There are some areas that the radars overlap, and that's on purpose. Sometimes you can look at radar from one vantage point, you need a second vantage point to look at it and kind of do a sanity check," said NWS Pocatello Meteorologist John Keyes.
Other doppler radars in the region can be found in Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Eastern Washington.
