If you’ve ever wondered just what kind of weather a weather radar site can withstand, the National Weather Service has an answer. It’s something less than 140 mph. The fiberglass dome that encases the radar gear at Virginia Peak looks something like a squashed ping pong ball after winds howling through the Sierras hit the site on Dec. 19. The NWS has a contingency plan for such failures and will be looking at alternative methods of gathering the raw data it needs to keep us from encountering that kind of weather.
