The National Weather Service Office in Birmingham, located at the Shelby County Airport between Alabaster and Calera, will host an open house this Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18, in conjunction with the Wings and Wheels Air and Auto Show at the airport. NWS meteorologists will be on hand each day from 10 AM to 5 PM to showcase how forecasts, watches, and warnings are created and to answer any and all weather questions. Come and see where and how Hurricane Katrina was tracked as it made its way across the Gulf of Mexico into Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. There will also be a charity bake sale held in conjunction with the NWS open house, with proceeds going toward the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina victims’ relief fund.
The NWS facility at the Shelby County Airport was opened in late 1993, and is across I-65 from the NEXRAD Doppler Radar site, which went into service in late spring 1994. You can see the big white radome on top of the radar tower as you drive along the interstate; to many it looks like a big “golf ball”. The radome protects the parabolic radar antenna inside the dome which is constantly spinning in all directions. The ABC 33/40 Doppler Radar site is also in Shelby county, but about 15 miles east of the NEXRAD site, on top of Double Oak Mountain. You can see our radome from U.S. 280 at the entrance to Highland Lakes.
Prior to moving to Shelby county, the Birmingham NWS operated from the 4th floor of the “11 West Oxmoor Road” building from 1971 to 1993. I have many fond memories of dropping by that office between the 6:00 and the 10:00 newscasts when I worked for Channel 13 back in the 1980s. My favorite visits came when the legendary J.B. Elliott was working the night shift; those “Hardee Parties” were something special. You would not believe the amount of food consumed!
The NWS facility at the Shelby County Airport was opened in late 1993, and is across I-65 from the NEXRAD Doppler Radar site, which went into service in late spring 1994. You can see the big white radome on top of the radar tower as you drive along the interstate; to many it looks like a big “golf ball”. The radome protects the parabolic radar antenna inside the dome which is constantly spinning in all directions. The ABC 33/40 Doppler Radar site is also in Shelby county, but about 15 miles east of the NEXRAD site, on top of Double Oak Mountain. You can see our radome from U.S. 280 at the entrance to Highland Lakes.
Prior to moving to Shelby county, the Birmingham NWS operated from the 4th floor of the “11 West Oxmoor Road” building from 1971 to 1993. I have many fond memories of dropping by that office between the 6:00 and the 10:00 newscasts when I worked for Channel 13 back in the 1980s. My favorite visits came when the legendary J.B. Elliott was working the night shift; those “Hardee Parties” were something special. You would not believe the amount of food consumed!
on September 14, 2005, 8:48 pm
James used to call before leaving Channel 13 to ask what I would like from Hardees.
I would say, all of page 4
I have seen him demolish multiple vanilla milkshakes in one session!
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on September 15, 2005, 12:17 am
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