Lee County, Florida, has installed a weather radar from the private company Climavision to look at the lowest part of the atmosphere over Fort Myers and nearby counties. County officials say the National Weather Service (NWS) radars that serve the area cannot see low-level storms well. The county announced the installation on July 31, 2026.
Quick take
- A dual-polarization X-band radar now sits on a county public safety building roof in Fort Myers.
- Climavision paid for it, per local reports, but the data is not public.
- Only the NWS issues warnings. The radar adds low-level data forecasters can use.
- No performance data has been published yet.
The gap behind the project
On January 16, 2022, a waterspout moved onshore in Iona and was later rated an EF-2 tornado. Fox 4 reports it traveled nearly eight miles, caused more than $10 million in damage and damaged more than 200 properties. WGCU separately says it destroyed more than 100 mobile homes. No warning was issued, and Route Fifty adds that neither the Tampa Bay nor the Miami NWS office issued one.
Fox 4 reports the closest NWS radar is in Ruskin, 75 miles north, and that its beam passes more than a mile above Lee County at that distance. Public Safety Director Benjamin Abes told the station there was “no possible way for the NWS to see it from Tampa Bay.”
What was installed, and who pays
The radar is a dual-polarization X-band system with a range of about 60 miles. Lee County says it is meant to fill small gaps between neighboring NWS radars and give close-to-ground views. Sources differ on the building’s name, calling it the Public Safety Center in one report and the new Emergency Operations Center in another. It is Climavision’s first radar in Florida and its 30th in the country. The company has radars in 15 states and plans nearly 200 supplemental radars nationwide.
WGCU reports that Climavision covers utility costs and structural upgrades, so there is no cost to taxpayers. Fox 4 says Climavision paid for the radar, the platform, building reinforcement and power. The county commission approved a license agreement in September 2025, according to a Captiva Sanibel report. It isn’t a gift, though. WGCU describes Climavision’s business model as selling weather data, similar to a subscription. The data from this radar will not be public. It will go to the NWS and local safety partners, and the county’s emergency management gets real-time access.
Climavision’s Tara Goode told Route Fifty the technology “is not here to replace the National Weather Service.” The company says its data is used within NWS systems, and NWS warnings still come through official channels. Jennifer Hubbard, a warning coordination meteorologist at NWS Tampa, told WLRN in 2025 that extra coverage is “always helpful.” She also noted X-band radar has limits, “especially with attenuation,” meaning heavy rain can weaken the signal.
Why It Matters to You
If you live in or near Fort Myers, forecasters get a closer look at storms near the ground, which is where the 2022 tornado slipped through unwarned. You can’t view the radar data yourself, and your warnings still come from the NWS. Officials urged residents to enable emergency alerts on their phones. The radar is installed, but it is new and no source shows it has improved a warning yet.
What we can’t say yet
- The 2022 tornado figures ($10 million, 200+ properties, nearly eight miles) come from one local TV report.
- No source shows the radar has detected a tornado or improved a warning. No performance data has been published.
- Operational timing is unclear. WGCU said 30 to 45 days of quality checks after July 31. Captiva Sanibel said four to six weeks. Fox 4 said by the end of the year. Confirm current status with the county.
- “Zero cost” covers the equipment and building work. It does not cover whatever the county pays or agrees to for data access, and we found no published license terms.
Frequently asked questions
Will this radar produce tornado warnings?
No. Only the NWS issues warnings. The radar adds low-level data that forecasters can use.
Did taxpayers pay?
Local reports say Climavision paid for the radar and building work. Data licensing terms were not published.
Can I see the radar data?
Not directly. WGCU and Fox 4 both report the data will not be public. It goes to the NWS and local safety partners.
Sources
- WGCU: Lee County installs new radar to close weather coverage gaps in Southwest Florida (Jul 31, 2026)
- Fox 4: Fixing the gap, how Lee County’s new radar will help protect residents (accessed Oct 13, 2026)
- Captiva Sanibel: First weather radar installation complete in Lee (Aug 11, 2026)
- Route Fifty: How tech can help localities solve weather gaps (Sep 3, 2026)
- WLRN: New radars to help fill Florida’s weather coverage gaps (Sep 16, 2025)