WRAL now has a new and improved WeatherCenter to help bring the latest weather forecast to viewers. |
Weather forecasting at the Big 5 just got even better. WRAL-TV launched a brand new WeatherCenter on Tuesday, July 30, 2013, during the Noon News. WRAL-TV Meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner did the honors.
The new set-up includes three dozen computer and video monitors, two dozen different computer systems feeding weather and traffic, and one dedicated camera in addition to the half dozen already in the main studio. A new animating LED backdrop curtain can change colors in different situations.
The upgraded WeatherCenter also features two fully-functional severe-weather desks with the ability to go live for severe weather, breaking news, and more. Additional workspaces are available for support meteorologists, producers and monitoring for reports from Skywarn spotters fed by amateur radio.
FX Design Group created the design; they are the same people who built the news set WRAL debuted two years ago. WRAL staffers provided guidance and input based on our needs and priorities.
“The new WeatherCenter was designed to connect our team of meteorologists to the newsroom and allow us to track severe weather more quickly than ever before,” explained WRAL-TV Weather Executive Producer Nate Johnson. “Beyond just looking good on television, it’s the most functional weather workspace I’ve ever been in.”
WRAL-TV Meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner debuts the new WRAL WeatherCenter during the Noon News on Tuesday, July 30, 2013. |
“ All the data we use to forecast the weather and track extreme weather, from the DUALDoppler5000 and Fayetteville Doppler and the latest warnings from the National Weather Service to satellite images and weather observations, are at our fingertips,” said Johnson. “I’m really happy with how it turned out.”
See the big unveil:
Thanks to WRAL-TV’s Shelly Leslie & WRAL.com for these capcom photos.
