RALEIGH – Just in time for the peak of hurricane season, and with a big  system headed toward Florida, the WRAL Storm Tracker is ready to go for real-time, on-location meteorology coverage of the worst weather Mother Nature has to offer.

Built on a powerful 2019 Nissan Titan XD V8 crew cab pickup truck, the WRAL Storm Tracker will turn WRAL meteorologists and photographers into “storm chasers,” delivering real-time weather coverage as they track severe weather.

Aimee Wilmoth, WRAL weather executive producer, says she and her team are ready to get up close and personal with storms of all kinds.

“I’m excited to be able to actually experience weather impacting the viewers,” Wilmoth says. “It’s not often that we get to go outside and actually experience the weather during hectic situations. All of our meteorologists will be safe and thoughtful in their decisions when being out in the field. I imagine many of them will be thrilled to get to work outside at times!”

WRAL photo

WRAL’s Aimee Wilmoth is ready to take the WRAL Storm Tracker on the road.

The WRAL Storm Tracker – loaded with cutting-edge radar and transmission gear as well as other technology for real-time, on location storm analysis – comes with huge tires, a lengthy body and is adorned with plenty of WRAL branding.

The truck also is rugged and designed to deal with tough conditions.

“Our WRAL Storm Tracker has four-wheel drive and will be able to manage many different weather situations,” Wilmoth explains.

And when things get rough?

“It also has stabilizers on the back!”

The all-business exterior is matched inside. The truck is packed with weather and communications gear behind the front cab, leaving room for a driver and two passengers.

The cost to up-fit the Storm Tracker cost is not something WRAL managers will discuss, but a 2019 Nissan Titan XD V8 crew cab with four-wheel drive alone retails for around $50,000.

Risk management

These storm chasers won’t be reckless, however. The crews sent into harm’s way will go with one order to keep in mind: stay safe.

“As always safety comes first,” Wilmoth, who joined WRAL in 2012 and has worked in the past across “Tornado Alley,” says. “We will treat this like any other live shot that we do. If lighting is too close, we will stay inside the truck.”

All meteorologists and photographers who will be on duty in the WRAL Storm Tracker are to be trained on how to run the truck before venturing forth, she adds.

And as exciting as a storm chase might be, this is all business.

Joel Davis

So says Joel Davis, WRAL-TV vice president and general manager.

“We believe the WRAL Storm Tracker is the first truck of its kind in the country that allows us to have full control of and show our live radar from the field instead of the studio,” he says.

“We are the only TV station in the market with a live, dual-polarization radar.  Now, we can route that radar right into the truck and control and display it live in the field, right where the weather may be having an impact.  It will be a whole new way to display the weather.  Additionally, it also does the things we’ve always done, like show live weather conditions when you’re driving down the highway.”

Weather is also big business for the station, he stresses.

“Nothing is more important to us than our weather coverage,” he explains. “We’ve long led the market with our meteorologists and our weather tools, like the Dual Doppler 5000 radar, and the WRAL Storm Tracker allows us to harness the power of our weather center and take it on the road.”

In the never-ending search for ways to improve news coverage, competition for mobile weather tracking already is increasing. An Oklahoma City station, News 9, launched its own “Storm Tracker” in November of last year, and NBC StormRanger is a packaged vehicle/weather system offered to stations. (WRAL did not work with NBC, choosing a “different tool,” Davis said.)

Wilmoth points out that the WRAL Storm Tracker is “a great way to enhance our weather coverage.We wanted to be able to take our weather office to the field to track storms impacting our viewing area, and this is a fantastic way to do it.”

Viewers of television, app and WRAL News online can expect to join the team in the middle of the action, too.

“We will be basically storm chasing. The truck is equipped with three cameras, including a 360-degree camera on top of the truck. So, yes, our storm tracker will at times be put in the middle of storms,” Wilmoth says.

High-tech transmission capabilities

Being inside a storm is one thing. Transmitting and receiving data is another. So the WRAL Storm Tracker comes with some special capabilities. It includes a LiveU data connectivity system that can utilize cell or satellite capabilities and is two-way, meaning it can receive and transmit information.

“Our Storm Tracker is definitely unique. It will first look for cell data, but if there is no cell data, it will look for satellite data,” Wilmoth explains.

“So, we can basically take it anywhere, which means we can take our Storm Tracker into any situation, including when infrastructure is destroyed such as in hurricanes and severe weather outbreaks.

“No matter the situation, we can get on the air from the WRAL Storm Tracker thanks to the satellite dish on top of the truck.”

WRAL photo

WRAL’s Elizabeth Gardner inside the Storm Tracker

And viewers will benefit, she points out.

“Having a Storm Tracker that allows us to manipulate our radar from any location means we can show our viewers what is happening in their neighborhood,” Wilmoth stresses.

“It’s not just a fancy truck that we sit inside. We can run the radar, we have a weather station on board to know all the current conditions, and we have the 360 cam on top.

“I think our viewers are going to love this.”

As for where WRAL Storm Tracker is sent, decisions will be based on what the meteorologists at WRAL determine about storms, their progress and intensity.

“We will use the expertise of our talented meteorologists to determine exactly where to go,” she explains.

More breaking news coverage

Davis points out that the truck can be on the move while WRAL’s Sky 5 helicopter might be grounded – with the weather gear in and on the truck.

“[Storm Tracker] allows us to utilize our most powerful weather tools from the field, instead of the studio,” Davis explains. “Similar to satellite trucks and helicopters, it puts both us and the viewers in the middle of the story, bringing a greater sense of urgency.”

The WRAL Storm Tracker comes after the launch last year of the Breaking News Tracker, an important addition to WRAL’s arsenal as it competes for TV ratings and online readership.

“The Breaking News Tracker has allowed us to dominate breaking news coverage,” Davis says. “We have reporters who respond immediately and get the story on WRAL.com and TV first.  Having the tool also prevents having to divert other reporters from stories that they’ve been working on all day. Our viewers benefit by seeing all that content.”