The partnership will provide AEMA and local emergency managers with visibility into weather conditions in regions that were previously unobservable, and therefore vulnerable to unpredictable weather events, according to a news release.
“Our responsibility is to ensure every community in Alabama—urban and rural—has access to the same level of situational awareness when severe weather threatens,” said Jeff Smitherman, Director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
“Closing coverage gaps takes partnership across federal, state, county, and private-sector teams, and this approach allows us to do that in a way that is both collaborative and fiscally responsible.”
Working in Alabama since 2021, Climavision operates three of its radars in areas historically considered “radar gaps” — or large areas of land where lower atmospheric regions aren’t observed at all.
The company’s radars fill gaps across one of America’s most widely recognized observational gaps in the southwest portion of Alabama, an area particularly vulnerable to severe weather but historically lacking hyper-local radar coverage, the release said.
Previously, access to radar data was limited to the local counties where the systems were deployed.
Emergency managers across the state will now have access to data from these radars so they can respond to critical weather events in regions they previously couldn’t monitor, according to the release.
“Weather planning and response requires tight communication and coordination with federal, state, and local partners,” Tara Leigh Goode, Climavision’s head of radar operations and strategic partnerships, said in the release.
“This exciting partnership with AEMA demonstrates how we can all work together to accelerate innovation and solutions in the interest of a safer, more resilient nation. We’re grateful to AEMA for their leadership in disaster preparedness and proud to partner with them.”
The National Weather Service (NWS) relies on its nationwide NEXRAD radar network to provide the backbone of U.S. weather forecasting and situational awareness.
While NEXRAD delivers critical upper-level coverage, many regions, including parts of Alabama remain underserved at lower altitudes where severe weather impacts communities most directly, according to the release.
Climavision representatives said roughly 130 million Americans live in radar gaps where weather conditions close to the ground aren’t measured by existing NEXRAD radars.
State and local emergency managers in many areas have historically been forced to rely on distant radar coverage, limiting their ability to assess rapidly evolving threats in their own jurisdictions.
But in the last three years, Climavision has worked collaboratively with NWS to provide data that addresses these gaps, according to the release.
“The first phase of this effort focused on deploying the physical infrastructure needed to observe weather where it previously couldn’t be seen,” said Climavision Co-Founder and CEO Chris Goode
“This next phase — making that data accessible statewide — shows how states can responsibly modernize their weather readiness. Alabama’s approach demonstrates what’s possible when state leadership, local partners, and federal systems work together, and we expect this model to become increasingly relevant as weather risks continue to intensify.”
In addition to Alabama, Climavision’s network fills visibility gaps in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas, with plans to expand to Florida this year, the release said.
All of the company’s radar systems are safe and licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), according to the release.
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