KMXX radar — Maxwell AFB, AL
KMXX is the National Weather Service's WSR-88D Doppler radar for the Maxwell AFB area, operated with the NWS office BMX. View it live in TALON — the loop, super-res reflectivity, storm-relative velocity, rotation and correlation coefficient.
| Station | KMXX (Maxwell AFB, Alabama) |
|---|---|
| Location | 32.5370°, -85.7900° · Macon County |
| Elevation | 558 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 KMXX see?
A radar beam travels in a nearly straight line while the Earth curves away underneath it, so the farther a storm is from KMXX, 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 KMXX | 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 KMXX's range
Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 563 tornadoes within 60 miles of the KMXX radar, 128 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in April and March. The strongest was an EF4 on March 3, 2019, which passed about 19 miles east-southeast of the radar and caused 23 deaths. The most recent was an EF1 on May 21, 2025, which passed about 25 miles south-southwest of the radar.
Hail: 843 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 60 miles of the KMXX radar since 1955, 75 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 4.50-inch hail (grapefruit size) on April 22, 2005.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 563 |
| EF2/F2 or stronger | 128 |
| Strongest tornado | EF4 · Mar 2019 |
| Busiest tornado month | April |
| Largest hail | 4.50 in · Apr 2005 |
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 KMXX
- Montgomery, AL 32 mi west-southwest
- Birmingham, AL 90 mi northwest
- Tuscaloosa, AL 113 mi west-northwest
- Atlanta, GA 117 mi northeast
- Huntsville, AL 158 mi north-northwest
- Chattanooga, TN 176 mi north
- Mobile, AL 184 mi southwest
Nearby radars
- KBMX · Birmingham, AL 72 mi
- KEOX · Fort Rucker, AL 77 mi
- KFFC · Atlanta, GA 91 mi
- KEVX · Eglin AFB, FL 136 mi
- KJGX · Robins AFB, GA 142 mi
KMXX radar FAQ
How often does KMXX 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 KMXX?
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 KMXX down?
Radars occasionally go offline for maintenance. When one does, TALON's US radar map fills the gap from neighboring radars (KBMX, KEOX, KFFC).