Billings Weather Radar Out for Repairs — Here’s What That Means

If your favorite weather app looks a little off lately, it’s not your imagination. For example, many apps in the Billings area this morning may not have reported the snow as it was falling.

Here's why: The National Weather Service’s Billings radar (KBLX - the big white ball thing west of the airport) is currently offline after suffering a mechanical failure on October 7. Replacement parts are on the way, but officials say the fix could take up to two weeks or possibly longer.

These radars are installed approximately 143 to 214 miles apart, across the US.

The KBLX site houses the region’s NEXRAD WSR-88D radar, one of 160 similar units across the country, which quietly serves as the backbone of modern weather forecasting. The first nationwide weather radar system was installed in the late 1950s, utilizing World War II technology. The NEXRAD systems were updated in 1974 and again in 1988.

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These big white “golf balls” track everything from rain and snow to severe storms and tornadoes, scanning the skies with Doppler radar beams to measure motion, intensity, and structure inside weather systems.

While the Billings radar is down, NWS meteorologists aren’t flying blind.

They’ll continue using data from surrounding radar sites in Great Falls, Glasgow, Bismarck, Rapid City, and Riverton, plus satellites and other sensor networks to fill the gap.

Still, coverage right over south-central Montana may not be quite as sharp as usual, meaning radar loops could look patchy or delayed for the Billings area until repairs are complete.

The National Weather Service says they’ll let everyone know once the radar is back in service. In the meantime, local weather enthusiasts, storm trackers, and anyone trying to plan their outdoor fall weekends might have to rely on a bit of old-fashioned sky-watching. For official updates, visit weather.gov/billings.