Go inside FOX 13’s SkyTower radar

TAMPA, Fla. - Eric Cupps was in his early teens when he first noticed SkyTower.

"When they said you could climb the corporate ladder here at FOX, I never thought it would be 300 feet up off Kennedy Boulevard," he said.

Cupps is now an engineer at FOX 13 whose job is to help maintain the iconic radar tower.

The radar dish turning around inside the Teflon dome at the top just underwent another series of upgrades and improvements. 

"I think what's most important is that we can see the winds, inside the storms," explained FOX 13 Chief Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto. "Downburst winds, potential tornados, we can track hail."

Skytower 13

Dellegatto and FOX 13 Meteorologist Jim Weber say people always want to know about the tower. Dellegatto first heard about it in 1988 before he took the job. 

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"Back then you couldn't Google it. You had to make phone calls, and they said, ‘We have this incredible radar. It's like the best in the country!’" he recalled.

The Tampa landmark is in top shape ahead of this hurricane season – ready for any kind of weather. 

"I think the radar has been a difference maker not only for the station but the viewers as well," Dellegatto stated.

As for Cupps, climbing to the top to make sure all systems are a go.

"I never thought I’d be climbing the heights, but I'm very glad to do it," he said.