KEC55
Encyclopedia
KEC55 is a NOAA Weather Radio
station that serves Dallas/Fort Worth and surrounding areas south, west and north of the immediate metroplex. It is programmed from the National Weather Service
forecast office in Fort Worth, Texas
with its transmitter located in Crowley
. It broadcasts weather and hazard information for the following Counties: Bosque
, Dallas
, Denton
, Ellis
, Hill, Hood, Johnson
, Parker
, Somervell
, Tarrant
, and Wise
.
Hourly conditions on this station are reported for the following cities: DFW Airport, Fort Worth Meacham
, Dallas Love Field, Arlington
, Denton
, Mineral Wells
, Wichita Falls
, Abilene
, Waco
, and Tyler
.
The audio feed was in use on KXAS-TV
's "NBC Plus" channel on 5.2 prior to switching to "NBC DFW Nonstop
", however it is used on WFAA-TV's "AccuWeather
channel" on 8.2 as an alternate feed. It's also heard on KPXD-TV's Emergency Alert System
during severe weather
for the counties listed.
in Dallas
simulcast
ed.
On March 30, 2009; Station KEC-55's transmitter was knocked off the air by a severe thunderstorm moments after the National Weather Service
issued severe weather warnings for Johnson, Tarrant, and surrounding counties. It was back on the air the next afternoon.
Throughout early 2009, all NOAA Weather Radio Stations within the North Texas region (including KEC55) began airing a monthly 5 minute talk show titled "The Lightning Bolt" where listener-submitted questions related to weather are answered by meteorologists.
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is a network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service office. It is operated by the NWS, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration within the United States Department of...
station that serves Dallas/Fort Worth and surrounding areas south, west and north of the immediate metroplex. It is programmed from the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
forecast office in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
with its transmitter located in Crowley
Crowley, Texas
Crowley is a city in Johnson and Tarrant counties in the U.S. state of Texas; virtually all of the city is in Tarrant County, with only about .01 sq mi in Johnson County...
. It broadcasts weather and hazard information for the following Counties: Bosque
Bosque County, Texas
Bosque County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in the U.S. state of Texas. As of 2000, the population is 17,204. Its county seat is Meridian. Clifton, however, is the largest city and the cultural/financial center of the county. Bosque is named for the Bosque River, which runs through...
, Dallas
Dallas County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,218,899 people, 807,621 households, and 533,837 families residing in the county. The population density was 2,523 people per square mile . There were 854,119 housing units at an average density of 971/sq mi...
, Denton
Denton County, Texas
Denton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2000, its population was 432,976; in 2009 the estimated population had reached 628,300. Part of the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex, it is one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States. The county seat is Denton. The county...
, Ellis
Ellis County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 111,360 people, 37,020 households, and 29,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 118 people per square mile . There were 39,071 housing units at an average density of 42 per square mile...
, Hill, Hood, Johnson
Johnson County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 126,811 people, 43,636 households, and 34,428 families residing in the county. The population density was 174 people per square mile . There were 46,269 housing units at an average density of 63 per square mile...
, Parker
Parker County, Texas
As of the census of 2003, there were 98,495 people, 31,131 households, and 24,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile . There were 34,084 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, Somervell
Somervell County, Texas
There were 2,438 households out of which 37.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couples living together, 9.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.50% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.20% had...
, Tarrant
Tarrant County, Texas
Tarrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, it had a population of 1,809,034. Its county seat is Fort Worth. Tarrant County is the sixteenth most populous county in the United States and the third most populous in Texas. The county is named in honor...
, and Wise
Wise County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 48,793 people, 17,178 households, and 13,467 families residing in the county. The population density was 54 people per square mile . There were 19,242 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
.
Hourly conditions on this station are reported for the following cities: DFW Airport, Fort Worth Meacham
Fort Worth Meacham International Airport
Fort Worth Meacham International Airport is an airport in Fort Worth, Texas. The airport is located at the intersection of Interstate 820 and U.S. Business Highway 287 in northwest Fort Worth, near the downtown business district...
, Dallas Love Field, Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, Denton
Denton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
, Mineral Wells
Mineral Wells, Texas
Mineral Wells is a city in Palo Pinto and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,946 at the 2000 census. The city is named for mineral springs in the area, which were highly popular in the early 1900s...
, Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls, Texas
Wichita Falls is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States, United States. Wichita Falls is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay and Wichita counties. According to the U.S. Census estimate of 2010,...
, Abilene
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
, Waco
Waco, Texas
Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....
, and Tyler
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
.
The audio feed was in use on KXAS-TV
KXAS-TV
KXAS-TV, virtual channel 5 , is the NBC television station for the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The station was Texas' first television station when the station made its debut on September 28, 1948. Its transmitter is located in Cedar Hill...
's "NBC Plus" channel on 5.2 prior to switching to "NBC DFW Nonstop
NBC DFW Nonstop
NBC DFW Nonstop is a 24-hour news and entertainment service on the secondary digital television subchannel of NBC's owned-and-operated station KXAS...
", however it is used on WFAA-TV's "AccuWeather
AccuWeather
AccuWeather is an American media company that provides for-profit weather forecasting services worldwide.AccuWeather was founded in 1962 by Joel N. Myers, then a Penn State graduate student working on degrees in meteorology. His first customer was a gas company in Pennsylvania. While running the...
channel" on 8.2 as an alternate feed. It's also heard on KPXD-TV's Emergency Alert System
Emergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System is a national warning system in the United States put into place on January 1, 1997, when it superseded the Emergency Broadcast System , which itself had superseded the CONELRAD System...
during severe weather
Severe weather
Severe weather phenomena are weather conditions that are hazardous to human life and property.- Examples Include :Severe weather can occur under a variety of situations, but three characteristics are generally needed: a temperature or moisture boundary, moisture, and , instability in the...
for the counties listed.
History
KEC-55 was one of 300 NOAA Weather Radio stations added across the United States in the 1970s. Until synthesized voice broadcasts were introduced into the NOAA Weather Radio network in 1998, both this station and KEC56KEC56
KEC56 is a NOAA Weather Radio station that serves Dallas/Fort Worth and surrounding areas south, east and north of the immediate metroplex. It is programmed from the National Weather Service forecast office in Fort Worth, Texas with its transmitter located in Dallas...
in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ed.
On March 30, 2009; Station KEC-55's transmitter was knocked off the air by a severe thunderstorm moments after the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
issued severe weather warnings for Johnson, Tarrant, and surrounding counties. It was back on the air the next afternoon.
Throughout early 2009, all NOAA Weather Radio Stations within the North Texas region (including KEC55) began airing a monthly 5 minute talk show titled "The Lightning Bolt" where listener-submitted questions related to weather are answered by meteorologists.
Coverage map