ULM received a $3 million grant from the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency preparedness to by a Doppler weather radar.

The radar will be located at ULM and will be a useful tool in determining weather conditions in the Monroe area, according to atmospheric science students. 

Weather forecasters use Doppler radars to detect precipitation in the atmosphere. Floyd said Doppler radars can also be used to detect tornadoes and wind shifts in the atmosphere. 

“Here we’re in what we refer to as ‘The Monroe Hole,’” said Tony Viramontez, a junior atmospheric science major. “We’re between Shreveport and Jackson, so by the time the radar hits us it is reading higher levels of the atmosphere.”

The only Doppler radar in this area is owned by the KTVE/KARD news stations. The National Weather Service’s closest radars are in Shreveport and Jackson, Miss. Viramontez thinks that ULM having a Doppler radar will allow students to be more hands-on in their studies.

Jarod Floyd, chief meteorologist for KTVE/KARD, agreed Monroe was in a dead-zone for weather information. He said this makes detecting weather phenomena near the ground more difficult because the radar signals are higher above the ground when they reach Monroe.  

 Floyd said the Doppler will look attractive to students wanting to study atmospheric science and that it makes ULM stand out from the pack.

“It’s a great recruitment tool. It will give ULM the opportunity to observe weather phenomena that other universities don’t have,” Floyd said.