What is the White Globe Over the Trees?

What is the White Globe Over the Trees?. . As you meander through Missouri Research Park, you can see a large white globe peeking over the treetops. Inside the globe is weather radar operated by the St. Louis office of the National Weather Service. Officially known as WSR-88D, it is part of a weather detection network of 160 radar stations spread across the United States. , The white globe is called a radome. It may look solid, but it is actually a shell made of fiberglass that covers and protects a large radar dish (28 feet in diameter) and its associated electronics. This particular radar station collects various types of weather data over parts of Missouri and Illinois. While the bulk of the date collected is within 148 miles of the tower, some data can come from as far as 285 miles away. , The St. Louis office is one of 122 forecast offices around the country that employ teams of meteorologists and technical staff. These offices operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The St. Louis office provides up-to-the-minute weather and hydrologic (river) observations, forecasts, and warnings to 46 counties in Central and Eastern Missouri as well as Southern Illinois. The National Weather Service is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce., On a daily basis, most people throughout the region use some form of the weather and river information provided by the National Weather Service. This information is especially important during times of hazardous weather, and for those whose livelihood relies on the weather, such as farmers, pilots, construction firms, outdoor recreation concerns, and those with river interests such as barge companies, utilities, and those with property that could be affected by flooding.