772
NOUS42 KMLB 011645
PNSMLB
FLZ041-044>046-053-058-141-144-154-159-164-247-254-259-264-347-
447-547-647-747-020445-

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Melbourne FL
1245 PM EDT Fri May 1 2026

...KMLB WSR-88D Radar Downtime Extended into Early May...

The KMLB WSR-88D radar will remain out of service through Friday,
May 8, 2026. Radome replacement has been ongoing over the past 18
days; however, technicians have determined that additional
downtime is necessary to properly seal and weatherproof the new
radome. This extended outage is also due in part to weather-
related delays. This maintenance is critical to ensure the long-
term integrity of the radome structure, which protects the radar
from hazardous weather.

Intermittent radar operations may resume as early as Tuesday, May
5, 2026. These brief activations will be conducted at the
discretion of technicians and will be dependent on ongoing work
requirements. As a result, radar availability during this period
will be inconsistent and should not be relied upon for full
operational use.

During the continued downtime, surrounding radars will provide
backup coverage, including: KTBW (Tampa), KJAX (Jacksonville),
KAMX (Miami), TDWR TMCO (Orlando), and TDWR TPBI (West Palm
Beach). Users can access these and other radar data at:
https://radar.weather.gov/.

The KMLB WSR-88D is part of a nationwide network of 159
operational radars. The Radar Operations Center in Norman,
Oklahoma provides lifecycle management and support for all
WSR-88Ds.

For the latest forecast information, visit our website at
https://www.weather.gov/mlb or follow the National Weather Service
Melbourne on Facebook and X.

Contact Information:
Will Ulrich, Warning Coordination Meteorologist
william.ulrich@noaa.gov, (321) 255-0212 ext. 223

$$

Ulrich