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35-695: The WSR-57 (Weather Surveillance Radar - 1957) was the first 'modern' weather radar. Initially commissioned at the Miami Hurricane Forecast Center, the WSR-57 was installed in other parts of the Contiguous United States (CONUS). The WSR-57 was the first generation of radars designed expressly for a national warning network. The WSR-57 was designed in 1957 by Dewey Soltow using World War II technology, using modified versions of those used by United States Navy aircraft. Designated AN/FPS-41 by

70-447: A WSR-74 S at Patuxent River, MD. Among first 31 Among first 31 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 Moved to Marseilles, IL (MMO) June 1, 1972 to April 5, 1973 A WR100-5 was leased during the move to Marseilles, IL Second commissioning April 5, 1973 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-3 Final decommissioning February 28, 1983 Replaced by a WSR-74 S Contiguous United States The contiguous United States (officially

105-492: A WSR-1 Final decommissioning November 9, 1995 On top of the Post Office Building Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 About 16th Replaced a WSR-1 Stephenville, TX (SEP) September 10 to October 28, 1973. Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-3 Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 Research radar; not part of the national operational network. Originally located at NSSL facility on

140-647: A WSR-3. Now the ARMOR radar, still used by Local Media/NWS. On top of the Federal Building in Westwood to this day. At Madison Airport. Replaced a WSR-3 (Doppler capability after 1982 ) At the Paducah Airport. WSR-74S providing local coverage Replaced a WSR-57 . (Doppler capability) Replaced a WSR-57 at Chicago. At East Memphis/Agricenter site Replaced a WSR-57 . At Patuxent River NAS Replaced

175-464: A density of 111.04 inhabitants/sq mi (42.872/km ), compared to 93.844/sq mi (36.233/km ) for the nation as a whole. While conterminous U.S. has the precise meaning of contiguous U.S. (both adjectives meaning "sharing a common boundary"), other terms commonly used to describe the 48 contiguous states have a greater degree of ambiguity. Because Alaska is also a part of North America , the term continental United States also includes that state, so

210-445: A generally shorter maximum effective range. The WSR-74C uses a wavelength of 5.4 cm. It also has a dish diameter of 8 feet, and a maximum range of 579 km (313 nm) as it was used only for reflectivities (see Doppler dilemma ). The WSR-57 network was very spread out, with 66 radars to cover the entire country. There was little to no overlap in case one of these vacuum-tube radars went down for maintenance. The WSR-74

245-441: A state, it was properly included within the continental U.S. due to being an incorporated territory . The term mainland United States is sometimes used synonymously with continental United States , but technically refers only to those parts of states connected to the landmass of North America, thereby excluding not only Hawaii and overseas insular areas , but also islands which are part of continental states but separated from

280-454: A unique identifying alphanumeric designation. The letters “AN” (for Army-Navy) are placed ahead of a three-letter code. Thus, the AN/FPS-41 represents the 41st design of an Army-Navy “Fixed, Radar, Search” electronic device. The 66 former sites of the WSR-57 include the following: Moved to Coral Gables in 1966. 1st Destroyed during Hurricane Andrew . The dome used to reside downtown on

315-469: Is actual land, composing 83.65 percent of the country's total land area, and is comparable in size to the area of Australia. Officially, 160,820.25 square miles (416,522.5 km ) of the contiguous United States is water area, composing 62.66 percent of the nation's total water area. The contiguous United States, if it were a country, would be fifth on the list of countries and dependencies by area , behind Russia , Canada , China , and Brazil . However,

350-655: The Charleston, SC , WSR-57 radar image of the 1989 Hurricane Hugo . A WSR-57 dish, located on the roof of the National Hurricane Center (NHC), was blown away by Hurricane Andrew . The NHC report on Hurricane Andrew shows its last radar image, as well as images from nearby WSR-88D radars. As the network of WSR-57 radars aged, some were replaced with WSR-74 S models of similar performance but with better reliability. WSR-57 operators sometimes had to scramble for spare parts no longer manufactured in this country. 128 of

385-572: The District of Columbia is within the contiguous United States. WSR-74 WSR-74 radars were W eather S urveillance R adars designed in 1974 for the National Weather Service . They were added to the existing network of the WSR-57 model to improve forecasts and severe weather warnings. Some have been sold to other countries like Australia, Greece, and Pakistan. There are two types in

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420-630: The Northern Mariana Islands , Puerto Rico , and the U.S. Virgin Islands . The colloquial term " Lower   48 " is also used, especially in relation to Alaska. The related but distinct term continental United States includes Alaska, which is also on North America, but separated from the 48 states by British Columbia in Canada, but excludes Hawaii and all the insular areas in the Caribbean and

455-565: The Northwest Angle in Minnesota are three such places. Alburgh, Vermont , is not directly connected by land, but is accessible by road via bridges from within Vermont and from New York. By contrast, Hyder, Alaska , is physically part of contiguous Alaska and its easternmost town, but the only practical access is by road through Canada or by seaplane. The 48 contiguous states are: In addition,

490-522: The Pacific . The greatest distance (on a great-circle route) entirely within the contiguous U.S. is 2,802 miles (4,509 km), coast-to-coast between Florida and the State of Washington ; the greatest north–south line is 1,650 miles (2,660 km). The contiguous United States occupies an area of 3,119,884.69 square miles (8,080,464.3 km ). Of this area, 2,959,064.44 square miles (7,663,941.7 km )

525-614: The South Pacific Ocean in Polynesia , south of the equator — it is 2,200 miles (3,500 km) southwest of Hawaii . In American Samoa, the contiguous United States is called the "mainland United States" or "the states"; those not from American Samoa are called palagi (outsiders). Apart from off-shore U.S. islands , a few continental portions of the contiguous United States are accessible by road only by traveling through Canada. Point Roberts, Washington ; Elm Point, Minnesota ; and

560-518: The conterminous United States ) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the District of Columbia of the United States in central North America . The term excludes the only two non- contiguous states, which are Alaska and Hawaii (they are also the last two states to be admitted to the Union ), and all other offshore insular areas , such as the U.S. territories of American Samoa , Guam ,

595-714: The 49th state of the United States on January 3, 1959. Alaska is the northwest extremity of the North American continent, separated from the U.S. West Coast by the Canadian province of British Columbia . The term Lower 48 has, for many years, been a common Alaskan equivalent for "contiguous United States"; today, many Alaskans use the term "Outside" for those states, though some may use "Outside" to refer to any location not within Alaska. The territory of Hawaii , consisting of

630-570: The District of Columbia who were born in, or can trace their family ancestry to, Puerto Rico. The U.S. Virgin Islands is a U.S. territory located directly to the east of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea. The term "stateside" is used to refer to the mainland, in relation to the U.S. Virgin Islands (see Stateside Virgin Islands Americans ). American Samoa is a U.S. territory located in

665-636: The Interior by the American military organizations of the time—the future states of Alaska and Hawaii , then each only organized incorporated territories of the Union, were respectively covered by the Eleventh Air Force and Seventh Air Force during the war. Residents of Alaska, Hawaii and off-shore U.S. territories have unique labels for the contiguous United States because of their own locations relative to them. The vast territory of Alaska became

700-630: The University of Oklahoma - Norman's North Research Campus near 35.23807,-97.46264 and later relocated to Woodward, OK in the 1980s as an off-network radar operated to support local emergency management and ARES services in an area of poor network radar coverage. Radar tower and antenna remains in place at 36.44133,-99.37137 Probably not counted among first 31 a.k.a. Santa Catalina - atop Blackjack Mountain. Among first 31 Station closed Among first 31 Among first 31 At Washington Dulles International Airport, Dulles, VA. Among first 31 Replaced by

735-753: The WSR-57 and WSR-74 model radars were spread across the country as the National Weather Service's radar network until the 1990s. The WSR-57 radars were gradually replaced by the Weather Surveillance Radar - 1988, Doppler, WSR-88D , which NOAA named the NEXRAD network. The last WSR-57 radar in the United States was decommissioned on December 2, 1996. Under the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), all U.S. military radar and tracking systems are assigned

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770-506: The WSR-74 series, which are almost identical except for operating frequency. The WSR-74C (used for local warnings) operates in the C band , and the WSR-74S (used in the national network) operates in the S band (like the WSR-57 and the current WSR-88D ). S band frequencies are better suited because they are not attenuated significantly in heavy rain while the C Band is strongly attenuated, and has

805-507: The WSR-88D, but some of these radars are in commercial use. WSR-74 sites include the following two categories: Was atop the WSFO building at 3420 Norman Berry Drive Replaced a WSR-3. Replaced a WSR-3. Replaced a WSR-1. Replaced a WSR-3. Replaced a WSR-3. Replaced a WSR-3. Replaced a WSR-3. Replaced a WSR-3. Atop the Federal Building (Doppler capability after July 1991) Replaced

840-404: The continental United States, and as the 48 contiguous states. The District of Columbia is not always specifically mentioned as being part of CONUS . OCONUS is derived from CONUS with O for outside added, thus referring to Outside of Continental United States. The term lower 48 is also used to refer to the conterminous United States. The National Geographic style guide recommends

875-539: The country as the National Weather Service's radar network until the 1990s. They were gradually replaced by the WSR-88D model (Weather Surveillance Radar - 1988, Doppler), constituting the NEXRAD network. The WSR-74 had served the NWS for two decades. The last WSR-74C used by the NWS was located in Williston, ND, before being decommissioned at the end of 2012. No WSR-74S's are in the NWS inventory today, having been replaced by

910-496: The entire Hawaiian Islands archipelago except for Midway Atoll , became the 50th state of the United States on August 21, 1959. It is the southernmost U.S. state, and the latest one to join the Union. Not part of any continent, Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean , about 2,200 miles (3,541 km) from North America and almost halfway between North America and Asia . In Hawaii and overseas American territories , for instance,

945-577: The mainland, such as the Aleutian Islands ( Alaska ), San Juan Islands ( Washington ), the Channel Islands ( California ), the Keys ( Florida ), the barrier islands ( Gulf and East Coast states), and Long Island (New York). CONUS , a technical term used by the U.S. Department of Defense , General Services Administration , NOAA/National Weather Service , and others, has been defined both as

980-472: The military, it provided only coarse reflectivity data and no velocity data, which made it extremely difficult to predict tornadoes. Weather systems were traced across the radar screen using grease pencils. Forecasters had to manually turn a crank to adjust the radar's scan elevation, and needed considerable skill to judge the intensity of storms based on green blotches on the radar scope. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) has pictures of

1015-535: The old Federal Building at 911 Walnut Street per SPC history 2nd Replaced a WSR-1 Serial model 16 About 16th Serial model 19 Among first 31 Replaced by a WSR-74 S. Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-3 (Covington, KY) at the Greater Cincinnati Airport . About 16th Among first 31 Replaced a WSR-1 Among first 31 Serial model 20 Moved to Ruskin, FL May 1, 1975 to June 1, 1975 2nd commissioning June 1, 1975 Among first 31 Replaced

1050-655: The term is qualified with the explicit inclusion of Alaska to resolve any ambiguity. On May 14, 1959, the United States Board on Geographic Names issued the following definitions based partially on the reference in the Alaska Omnibus Bill, which defined the continental United States as "the 49 States on the North American Continent and the District of Columbia..." The Board reaffirmed these definitions on May 13, 1999. However, even before Alaska became

1085-630: The terms the Mainland or U.S. Mainland are often used to refer to the 49 states in North America. Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeast Caribbean Sea , approximately 1,000 miles (1,609 km) southeast of Miami , Florida . Puerto Ricans born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens and are free to move to the mainland United States. The term Stateside Puerto Rican refers to residents of any U.S. state or

WSR-57 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-411: The total area of the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, ranks third or fourth. Brazil is 431,000 square kilometers (166,000 sq mi) larger than the contiguous United States, but smaller than the entire United States including Alaska, Hawaii and overseas territories. The 2020 U.S. census population of the area was 328,571,074, comprising 99.13 percent of the nation's total population, and

1155-566: The use of contiguous or conterminous United States instead of lower 48 when the 48 states are meant, unless used in the context of Alaska. Almost all of Hawaii is south of the southernmost point of the conterminous United States in Florida. During World War II , the first four numbered Air Forces of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) were said to be assigned to the Zone of

1190-523: Was expected, while WSR-74S radars were generally used to replace WSR-57 radars in the national weather surveillance network. When a network radar went down, a nearby local radar might have to supply updates like a network radar. NWS Lubbock received the first WSR-74C in August 1973 following widespread attention from the F5 Lubbock tornado of 1970. 128 of the WSR-57 and WSR-74 model radars were spread across

1225-422: Was introduced as a "gap filler", as well as an updated radar that, among other things, was transistor-based. In the early 1970s, Enterprise Electronics Corporation (EEC), based out of Enterprise, Alabama won the contract to design, manufacture, test, and deliver the entire WSR-74 radar network (both C and S-Band versions). WSR-74C radars were generally local-use radars that didn't operate unless severe weather

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