SHALLOTTE, N.C. (WECT) – Trees growing around the Doppler radar in Shallotte are beginning to block radar scans, and meteorologists warn the problem could soon spread to broader areas of Southeastern North Carolina.
The issue is not new to the region. An EF-3 tornado that struck southern Brunswick County in February 2021, killing three people and damaging more than 100 homes, highlighted the same problem — trees partially obstructed the radar’s view to the south, limiting forecast accuracy as the storm moved through that area. Those trees were cleared in 2022, but growth in other directions of the radar has picked up.
Steven Pfaff, the meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, said some taller trees are beginning to impact radar scans again, and blockage could worsen over the next year or two, depending on how fast the trees grow. Pfaff noted that other radars in North and South Carolina can provide supplemental coverage, and new data integration will also help the NWS navigate the problem…