Collapsed KTAB/KBRC-TV tower near Abilene (Photos: Courtesy KBRC-TV)

(Jan. 26, 2006) - NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) broadcasts are back on the air following the collapse of an ice coated television tower near Abilene. The NWR antenna serving the Abilene area was attached to KTAB/KBRC-TV tower when it collapsed under the weight of accumulated ice on January 14. It was one of the many impacts of a significant winter weather system that blanketed much of New Mexico, Oklahoma and north and central Texas with ice, snow and freezing rain.

The tower was located atop Cedar Gap Mountain, just south of the city. At just over 2,300 hundred feet above sea level, the site's elevation proved beneficial to National Weather Service technicians working to re-establish the signal. Regional Maintenance Specialist Terry Hempen, Antenna Specialist Kent Orton and INTEC Telecom Systems Maintenance Contract Specialist Tony Smart installed a temporary antenna on the television station's transmitter building.

Thanks to their diligent efforts and the site elevation, NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards broadcasts from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in San Angelo have been restored to more than 80 percent of the population in the original broadcast coverage area. The limited service will continue until a final resolution is found to re-establish full broadcast coverage. To learn more about NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, visit: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr.

Collapsed KTAB/KBRC-TV tower near Abilene (Photos: Courtesy KBRC-TV)