Radar Network and Doppler Services Upgrade Project
What's New
Brisbane Radar Upgrade
New Weather Radar Opens in Melbourne
New Gympie Weather Radar Opens
Brisbane Radar Upgrade
As of Thursday 6 December 2007, images from the Brisbane (Mount Stapylton) radar are available every six minutes (previously every ten minutes). The radar animation, covering the previous half an hour, now consists of six images (previously four images). This upgrade will provide a new level of detail about weather in the Brisbane area.
As a result of the change from 10 minute intervals to 6 minute intervals, the following looped imagery will be now available, so that the loops will still span the same amount of time:
Freely available web-based looped radar imagery:
Previously: 4 images at 10 minute intervals (30 minutes duration)
Now: 6 images at 6 minute intervals (30 minutes duration)
Registered User web-based looped radar imagery:
Previously: 7 images at 10 minute intervals (60 minutes duration)
Now: 11 images at 6 minute intervals (60 minutes duration)
New Weather Radar Opens in Melbourne
The observation of storms and severe weather in Victoria will benefit with the opening of the new state-of-the-art Doppler weather radar in Melbourne. The radar, located at RAAF Base Williams in Laverton, is one of 6 Doppler weather radars funded under the Australian government's five-year $62 million dollar radar upgrade project.
The new radar is a precision tool that will give meteorologists the ability to accurately measure rainfall over a wide area, horizontally and vertically in the atmosphere as well as providing information on the three dimensional atmospheric flow within a weather system.
The old radar at Laverton had been in operation since 1993, and provided valuable information for the community in this area which has a climate that includes extreme rainfall events. The new radar uses the latest technology to provide data at an improved resolution to the one it replaces. The digital processor inside this radar will help provide clearer radar images at a higher resolution than was previously possible. The radar through its new Doppler capability will allow forecasters to monitor the wind flow around severe weather systems.
This location is ideal for monitoring weather across Greater Melbourne and as far west as Mortlake and as far north as Bendigo and parts of West Gippsland.
The new Melbourne radar images will be available to the public via the Internet every six minutes providing a new level of detail about the weather. Available images include 64 km, 128 km and 256 km range views, as well as Doppler winds at 128 km range view. The number of images in web-based loops available on the Bureau's website has increased to compensate for the reduced update interval for this radar. As a result of the change from 10 minute intervals to 6 minute intervals, the following looped imagery will be now available, so that the loops will still span the same amount of time:
Freely available web-based looped radar imagery:
Previously: 4 images at 10 minute intervals (30 minutes duration)
Now: 6 images at 6 minute intervals (30 minutes duration)
Registered User web-based looped radar imagery:
Previously: 7 images at 10 minute intervals (60 minutes duration)
Now: 11 images at 6 minute intervals (60 minutes duration)
The new Doppler radar in Melbourne.
An image from the new Doppler radar in Melbourne.
New Gympie Weather Radar Opens
The observation of storms and severe weather in South East Queensland will benefit with today's opening of the new state-of-the-art weather radar at Mt Kanigan near Gympie.
From today the new radar will monitor weather from Fraser Island and the Sunshine Coast as well as parts of major catchments such as the Burnett, Mary and Brisbane rivers.
The new radar replaces an old radar that had been operating at the site since 1977. The new radar uses the latest technology to provide clearer radar images at a higher resolution than previously possible.
The Assistant Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, the Hon. John Cobb, said that the new radar will provide an important boost for local weather services and will be an important tool for the general public, aviators, the rural sector and emergency services and flood managers within local councils.
"This new radar will provide meteorologists with the ability to more easily detect rain bearing weather systems and to chart the movement of rain across South East Queensland," Mr Cobb said.
"Members of the public will also be able to access rainfall information from the Gympie radar using the Bureau's website," he said.
"The area covered by the new radar has one of the highest incidences of severe thunderstorms in Australia. Severe storms have the potential to produce large hail, damaging wind gusts, flash flooding and tornadoes - all of which have been recorded within the coverage area of the new radar," he said.
"The technological advances in weather observation provided by this new facility will help meteorologists to monitor the development and movement of severe weather systems in south east Queensland," Mr Cobb said.
The Gympie radar is one of 15 weather watch radars funded by the Australian government under the five-year $62 million dollar radar upgrade project.
The new Gympie radar.
An image from the new Gympie radar.
Media Releases
Previous News
| Date Posted | Description of item |
|---|---|
| October 26, 2006 | New Radar In Western Queensland |
| August 4, 2006 | New Doppler Radar In Queensland |
| October 21, 2005 | New Doppler Radar In South Australia |
| October 19, 2005 | Tennant Creek Radar Upgrade |
| July 07, 2005 | Adelaide Doppler Radar Takes Shape |