Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Weather Center To Be Upgraded

Nevada County's weather center may soon be upgraded.

The upgrades, according to Davis Benton, area meteorologist, will provide the center with state-of-the-art equipment so residents of Prescott and Nevada County will be warned of incoming severe weather faster.

Benton gave this information to members of the Nevada County Rural Fire Association at a meeting Tuesday, March 24 at the Nevada County courthouse.

With the equipment discussed, he said, people of the area won't have to rely on television, radio or other means of information for their weather data. "If handled properly," he said, "Nevada County's weather center can be one of the premier ones in the state for fire departments."

The equipment needed includes a new computer and an additional phone line. Currently, there is only a cellular phone on hand at the center.

Currently, weather information on the center's weather computer is updated every 15 minutes. Benton said with a new computer the area can receive live radar and eliminate the wait.

The current system would be utilized to provide an overall picture of the weather event occurring.

The system in use now shows where the storm lines and fronts are. This gives whoever is monitoring the computer an idea of when the storms could arrive in the area and roughly how severe they could be.

Benton said the Cale City Council voted to pay up to $300 to help upgrade the communication system at the center. All area councils are urged to help with the upgrades, he said.

"We could be on the right path and be a first class weather center," he said.

However, with better communication capabilities, Benton told those on hand, the center could also provide emergency information on other potential problems as well, such as hazardous waste.

Still, he said, the center will depend heavily on those who have been trained as weather spotters. The spotters, he said, are the first line of defense when severe weather threatens.

Even with the upgrades, Benton said the center can't issue tornado warnings. But, he added, if a spotter sees a twister the center would be negligent if it didn't warn the people of the county.

"Nothing is foolproof," he said, "but we're heading in the right direction."

He said the center needs financial help and be no fund raising projects have been planned. The word needs to be spread because weather is serious business and with severe weather anything can happen.

Benton said Nevada County will again be hit by a tornado and the weather center can help save lives by getting the information out quickly.

The City of Prescott, he said, has donated a generator to the center, which will help immensely.

William Mullins, with the Nevada County Rescue Unit, said the NCRU is in need of a boat for water rescues. A 15-foot boat with a 15 horsepower motor and trailer has been found for $2,450, but the NCRU doesn't have quite enough money to make the purchase at this time.

Mullins said there are several people in the county who have volunteered the use of their boats, but the NCRU members don't always have time to find these people in an emergency situation.

James Lamb, with the Woodmen of the World, discussed fund raisers with the group. He said the WOW members would help, but local people, especially those involved with volunteer fire departments, need to pitch in and work as well.

Members of the association agreed to look into the possibility of having a fund raiser, with the money raised to be set aside for use as needed by the various VFDs in the county.

Charles Backus, Office of Emergency Services coordinator for the county, said the poles have been erected for emergency sirens. The sirens, he said, should be installed and ready for testing by April 15.

He said the sirens can be set off by tone from the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, but a secondary means of setting them off will be at the NCRU as well.