Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) Societal Benefit Study

The National Weather Service (NWS) Office of Observations asked The MITRE Corporation (MITRE) to describe and monetize the societal benefits of Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD). NEXRAD radars are approaching end of life, and determining the societal benefits generated by these radars can help inform the value proposition of the replacement program, Radar Next. For this report, MITRE was asked to estimate the societal benefits of NEXRAD in a single year against a baseline where there is no data from NEXRAD radars. We monetized six sources of benefit: (1) reduced injuries and fatalities from tornadoes; (2) reduced injuries and fatalities from flash floods; (3) reduced injuries and fatalities from severe winds; (4) reduced commercial aviation delays from thunderstorms; (5) reduced injuries and fatalities from avoided general aviation accidents; and (6) reduced damage to aircraft from avoided general aviation accidents. We estimate that NEXRAD provides an annual benefit of $8.9 billion across these sources of benefit, with a low estimate of $5.2 billion and a high estimate of $11.2 billion.