58Ba46C4 B19D 492F B7Ec E0F876103477 — Storm clouds approach Huntsville, Alabama on April 27, 2011 during the tornado outbreak. This image was taken in Athens, Alabama, just to the west of Huntsville. (Nancy Vreuls, NASA/MSFC)

The Alabama Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) has partnered with weather technology company Climavision to close “radar gaps,” or areas where traditional systems struggle to see storms forming near the ground.

Why are there radar gaps?

B71078Bd 835F 493B 9A7F D14A8A37417A — An example of a NWS Doppler Weather Radar in the NEXRAD network. (alexlc13 / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

While the National Weather Service’s Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) network is the backbone of U.S. forecasting, it has blind spots.

Because the Earth is curved, radar beams often get higher in the atmosphere as they travel, missing low-level threats like developing EF-0 or EF-1 tornadoes. Roughly 130 million Americans — including many in Alabama — live in these underserved zones, according to Meteorological Technology International.

How it works

Climavision is filling these gaps using high-resolution, solid-state X-band radar.

Unlike the long-range NEXRAD, X-band uses shorter wavelengths that are far more sensitive to low-level precipitation, allowing for clearer visibility of microbursts and forming storm cells.

They operate via a “Radar-as-a-Service” (RaaS) model. Instead of buying expensive hardware, the state accesses Climavision’s data and proprietary “Horizon” AI models, which translate raw observations into high-definition, actionable intelligence.

Why it matters for Alabamia

This partnership allows AEMA and local emergency managers to see what’s happening in their own backyards in real-time, rather than relying solely on distant federal coverage.

“Our responsibility is to ensure every community in Alabama—urban and rural—has access to the same level of situational awareness.”
AEMA Director Jeff Smitherman to AL.com

The goal is earlier detection, which translates to more time for residents to find shelter.

ABC 33/40 reports that this technology has already proven effective elsewhere. Last year in Kentucky, Climavision’s system picked up a tornado signature 13 minutes ahead of the federal network.

While officials note this technology won’t prevent storms, it serves as a critical modernization of the state’s disaster preparedness, keeping Alabamians safer when the weather takes a turn for the worse.

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