KFDX radar — Cannon AFB, NM
KFDX is the National Weather Service's WSR-88D Doppler radar for the Cannon AFB area, operated with the NWS office ABQ. View it live in TALON — the loop, super-res reflectivity, storm-relative velocity, rotation and correlation coefficient.
| Station | KFDX (Cannon AFB, New Mexico) |
|---|---|
| Location | 34.6340°, -103.6190° · Curry County |
| Elevation | 4,695 ft above sea level |
| Type | WSR-88D (NEXRAD) S-band dual-polarization Doppler radar |
| Products in TALON | Super-res reflectivity (0.25 km), velocity, storm-relative velocity, rotation (azimuthal shear), correlation coefficient PRO |
How high can KFDX see?
A radar beam travels in a nearly straight line while the Earth curves away underneath it, so the farther a storm is from KFDX, the higher above the ground the radar is looking. Tornadoes start in the lowest few thousand feet, so storms close to the radar show low-level rotation much better.
| Distance from KFDX | Lowest scan (0.5°) | Next scan (1.5°) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mi | 500 ft | 1,400 ft |
| 25 mi | 1,500 ft | 3,800 ft |
| 50 mi | 3,600 ft | 8,200 ft |
| 75 mi | 6,300 ft | 13,200 ft |
| 100 mi | 9,600 ft | 18,800 ft |
| 150 mi | 18,200 ft | 32,000 ft |
Height of the beam's center above the radar, using standard refraction. Terrain can raise or block the beam.
Severe weather inside KFDX's range
Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 236 tornadoes within 60 miles of the KFDX radar, 28 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in June and May. The strongest was an F4 on April 17, 1970, which passed about 60 miles east-southeast of the radar and caused 1 death. The most recent was a tornado of unknown strength on June 5, 2025, which touched down about 46 miles south-southeast of the radar.
Hail: 967 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 60 miles of the KFDX radar since 1955, 147 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 4.50-inch hail (grapefruit size) on June 12, 2012.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 236 |
| EF2/F2 or stronger | 28 |
| Strongest tornado | F4 · Apr 1970 |
| Busiest tornado month | June |
| Largest hail | 4.50 in · Jun 2012 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025 (the latest year is preliminary). Distances are to each tornado's recorded track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale.
Cities covered by KFDX
- Amarillo, TX 109 mi east-northeast
- Lubbock, TX 125 mi southeast
Nearby radars
- KAMA · Amarillo, TX 116 mi
- KLBB · Lubbock, TX 123 mi
- KHDX · Holloman AFB, NM 179 mi
- KABX · Albuquerque, NM 185 mi
- KMAF · Midland/Odessa, TX 203 mi
KFDX radar FAQ
How often does KFDX update?
Every NEXRAD radar completes a full scan about every 4–6 minutes in storm mode, and repeats the lowest tilt more often (SAILS) during severe weather. TALON loads each new scan as it arrives.
What is the range of KFDX?
Reflectivity reaches about 290 miles and velocity about 185 miles, but useful low-level detail is within roughly 100 miles — see the table above.
Is KFDX down?
Radars occasionally go offline for maintenance. When one does, TALON's US radar map fills the gap from neighboring radars (KAMA, KLBB, KHDX).