Peoria, Ill. (WMBD) — The National Weather Service office in Lincoln will be conducting an update of its Advanced Weather Information Processing System (AWIPS) from approximately 7 am on June 3 through the afternoon of June 5.
Due to this scheduled upgrade, all NOAA Weather Radio stations operated by the Lincoln NWS will be off air during this time.
The following weather stations are the ones that will be affected:
- Peoria: WXJ-71 (162.475 MHz, channel 4)
- Bloomington: KZZ-65 (162.525 MHz, channel 6)
- Galesburg: KZZ-66 (162.400 MHz, channel 1)
- Champaign: WXJ-76 (162.550 MHz, channel 7)
- Jacksonville: WXM-90 (162.525 MHz, channel 6)
- Newton: KXI-48 (162.450 MHz, channel 3)
- Paris: KXI-47 (162.525 MHz, channel 6)
- Shelbyville: KXI-46 (162.500 MHz, channel 5)
- Springfield: WXJ-75 (162.400 MHz, channel 1)
Some locations, mainly on the edges of county lines, may be close enough in proximity to receive a degraded signal from a nearby operating station. Unfortunately, Peoria County does not have an alternate station close enough to serve as an alternate.
For other counties in our area here are some you can try, though a signal may still be difficult to pick up:
| Counties | Alternate Station |
|---|---|
| Fulton, Knox, Mason, Schuyler, Cass, Brown | Macomb: (WXJ-92, 162.500 MHz, channel 5) |
| Marshall, McLean, Woodford, Ford | Odell: (WXK-24, 162.450 MHz, channel 3) |
| Marshall, Stark, Henry | Princeton: (WXL-22, 162.425 MHz, channel 2) |
| Mercer | Burlington, IA: (WXN-83, 162.525 MHz, channel 6) |
| Ford, Vermilion | Crescent City: (KXI-86, 162.500 MHz, channel 5) |
| Crawford, Lawrence | Edwardsport, IN: (WWG-83, 162.425 MHz, channel 2) |
| Edwards | Evansville, IN: (KIG-76, 162.550 MHz, channel 7) |
| Brown, Pike | Hannibal, MO: (WXK-82, 162.475 MHz, channel 4) |
| Calhoun, Greene, Macoupin | Jerseyville: (KXI-70, 162.450 MHz, channel 3) |
| Henry, Mercer | Rock Island: (WXJ-73, 162.550 MHz, channel 7) |
| Clay, Fayette, Marion, Wayne | Salem: (KXI-49, 162.475 MHz, channel 4) |
While the weather radio stations will be off air, smartphone apps configured to receive warning information, like the CiProud 2 Go Weather App, will continue to do so. Makes sure you have your locations settings turned on so you can receive these alerts. NOAA Weather Radios are seen as a first line of defense in receiving life saving weather information but it is important to have multiple sources as a form of redundancy.
We’re looking at a welcomed break from severe weather through the start of next week, but some guidance is pointing to a more active pattern emerging by the end of next week. If this active pattern materializes, we could see a return of severe weather around the time this upgrade is scheduled.
