03/29/2024
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The National Weather Service Office in Wilmington has provided an update on the repairs to the transmitter located in Winnabow.  Steven Pfaff, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said, “The NWS will attempt to expedite the transmitter repairs as efficiently as possible within the bounds of Federal procurement procedures. However, we should plan on a 4 to 6 month outage based on similar instances with other transmitter outages that have occurred in the past.”

According to information provided by the National Weather Service, the damage to the transmitter most likely ocurred during Hurricane Matthew and the recent winter weather caused the tower to fail. There is damage to the antenna cable at about 200 feet below the antenna and possible damage to the antenna. The National Weather Service office is estimating the tower could potentially be out of service for four to six months based on similar outages that have ocurred with other NOAA Weather Radio transmitters.

Repairs will be made as quickly as possible but federal regulations and procedures must be followed. This includes an initial assessment, bids must be submitted, and a wind analysis must be performed on any new equipment deemed necessary.  According to the National Weather Service a new cable will need to be installed as well as a new antenna.

In the event of a Tornado Warning, Tornado Watch, Flash Flood Warning, Hurricane Warning, or Civil Emergency Message NWS staff will contact our LP1 (WMNX) and LP2 (WRMR) stations to activate EAS.

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