GOOD NEWS: New Atlas brings better storm coverage

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Our latest weather system brought some nice rain the Panhandle, but not much in the way of severe weather — that’s not always the case.

The next time our skies turn threatening, the first alert weather team is ready to meet the storm head on with a brand new version of the NewsChannel 10 First Alert Weather Atlas vehicle.

Admiring the shine and kicking the tires of a brand new car has always been fun, but this vehicle is quite special to Newschannel10 and our viewers.

Equipped with state of the art cameras and communication systems, this vehicle takes our storm coverage to a new level.

“Weather radar is obviously one of the most important and valuable tools in weather forecasting, but being able to get out into the elements to see and feel and hear and even smell what is going on in the weather, that’s what the weather atlas allows for,” said Kevin Selle, Newschannel10 First Alert Meteorologist. “That leads to more accurate and dependable and safe weather reporting.”

That reporting will come from every angle.

“We have lots of options, so something simple as a dash cam points straight out the front of the car,” said Shelden Breshears, Newschannel10 First Alert Meteorologist. “Whatever we’re driving towards that’s what we’re going to see, but our favorite camera is our roof camera because this one right here, I mean it has a remote control on top of the car.”

The roof camera has a 360 degree view, meaning it spins all the way around. This provides safety and better weather coverage for our first alert team.

It’s all about having our own crew out there reporting on exactly what is occurring.

“We’re going to be able let everybody know exactly where the storms are, when it’s happening and we’ll always have a look at that storm as well,” said Breshears.

Sometimes that means taking a beating in order to warn people in the path.

The Atlas will also be valuable in winter weather coverage.

“Thankfully the Atlas has all wheel drive, so that’s gonna make driving in the snow a lot safer for us, it’s going to allow us to get on the roads so that we can show everyone at home what those roads look like before they even get out on them,” Breshears said.

Reporting on snow covered roads will come before you know it. But in the meantime, we often experience a secondary severe storm season as we move into September and October.

With the latest resources on board our new weather Atlas, our team will be able to report on and visually show you exactly what kind of threat we face.

Now, that’s some good news.

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