Australia's weather radars explained

Bureau of Meteorology weather radars
Image Size:400px
Country:Australia
Manufacturer:Various
Number:69
Type:C and S bands

The majority of Australia's weather radars are operated by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), an executive agency of the Australian Government. The radar network is continually being upgraded with new technology such as doppler and dual polarisation to provide better now-casting. Doppler weather radars are able to detect the movement of precipitation, making it very useful in detecting damaging winds associated with precipitation,[1] and determining if a thunderstorm has a rotating updraft, a key indicator of the presence of the most dangerous type of thunderstorm, a supercell.[2] [3] [4]

The new dual polarisation radars give forecasters the ability to:

The dual polarisation transition

The transition to polarimetric (dual-polarised) radars began in 2017 with the upgrade of 4 Meteor 1500 radars located in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Sydney.[7] The network has further been enhanced through the installation of 8 new polarimetric Meteor 735 radars across WA, NSW & Victoria, and two polarimetric WRM200 radars[8] manufactured by Vaisala, one to replace the radar in Dampier, WA which had been destroyed by severe tropical cyclone Damien in 2020, and one to replace an ageing radar near Gove in the Northern Territory. Six new Meteor 1700s were also installed between 2021 and 2023, 5 located in Qld, and 1 in Perth, WA, all equipped with dual polarisation technology. All the radars with the model name 'Meteor' were manufactured by Selex ES, now Leonardo.

Specifications are available for the Meteor 735, Meteor 1700, and the Vaisala WRM200.

Future radar network upgrades

The BoM has plans[9] [10] [11] to:

Australian Capital Territory

The Australian Capital Territory is served by the Captains Flat radar, located in New South Wales.

New South Wales

Weather radars in New South Wales[13] [14] !Name!Location!Elevation (metres)!Model Name!Beamwidth (degrees)!Range Resolution (metres)!IEEE Frequency Band!Doppler!Dual Pol!Rainfall Accumulations!Notes
Brewarrina149 Meteor 7351250C
Canberra (Captains Flat)1383DWSR74S14-132250 S
Grafton40WSR74S-142500S
Hillston144Meteor 7351250C
Moree220WF100C-8 1.6500C
Namoi (Blackjack Mountain)699DWSR8502S-14 2250S
Newcastle84DWSR74S14-132250S
Norfolk Island~120WF100C-81.6CThe data from this radar is not in the national radar archive and therefore its metadata is inaccessible.
Sydney (Terrey Hills)195Meteor 15001250S
Wagga Wagga221WF100C-81.6500C
Wollongong (Appin)449DWSR8502S-142250S
Yeoval487Meteor 7351250CThe radar suffers moderate beam obstruction between approximately 70° and 130° due to an area of elevated terrain, meaning there is an underestimation of rain intensity in the lowest radar tilt between the same bearings.
Kurnell64WSR81C-121250CThe Kurnell radar is a backup radar and consequently live radar images are not available. Archived radar data is uploaded here

Northern Territory

Weather radars in Northern Territory[15] [16] !Name!Location!Elevation (metres)!Model Name!Beamwidth (degrees)!Range Resolution (metres)!IEEE Frequency Band!Doppler!Dual Pol!Rainfall Accumulations!Notes
Alice Springs545WF100C-81.6500C
Darwin (Berrimah)51Wurrung 2502C1250C
Darwin Airport38Wurrung 2502C1.6250C
Gove61WRM 2001250CThe WRM200 radar system replaced an aging WF100 radar in July 2023.
Katherine (Tindal)131WSR81C-81.6500C
Warruwi43Wurrung 2502C1250C

Queensland

Weather radars in Queensland[17] [18] !Name!Location!Elevation (metres)!Model Name!Beamwidth (degrees)!Range Resolution (metres)!IEEE Frequency Band!Doppler!Dual Pol!Rainfall Accumulations!Notes
BowenWF100C-81.6500C
Brisbane AirportMeteoPress C1.7250C[19] Doppler and dual-polarized measurements aren't available on the BoM website.
Brisbane (Mt Stapylton)Meteor 15001250S
CairnsWurrung 2502C1250CThe signal processor was upgraded in August 2023.
EmeraldDWSR 85022S
GladstoneWSR-742S
GreenvaleMeteor 17001250S
Gympie (Mt Kanigan)DWSR 85022S
LongreachWF 100C-81.6C
Mackay42Meteor 17001250SA new radar became operation in December 2023.[20]
Marburg370Meteor 17001250SIn November 2023, a new radar replaced an ageing WSR-74.[21] The radar suffers beam blockage on the tilts 0.6° and 0.83° to the W and SW of the radar, leading to an under-representation of reflectivity values between those bearings.
Mornington IslandWF 100C-81.6C
Mount IsaDWSR 85022S
RichmondMeteor 17001250S[22]
TaroomMeteor 17001250S[23]
ToowoombaMeteor 17001250SInstalled on the 18th of April 2024
Townsville (Hervey Range)DWSR 25021CThis radar will be replaced with a new Meteor 1700 radar in 2024.
WarregoTVDR 25001.6C
WeipaWurrung 2502C1C
Willis IslandWurrung 2502C1.6C

South Australia

Weather radars in South Australia[24] [25] !Name!Location!Elevation (metres)!Model Name!Beamwidth (degrees)!Range Resolution (metres)!IEEE Frequency Band!Doppler!Dual Pol!Rainfall Accumulations!Notes
Adelaide (Buckland Park)Meteor 15001250S
Adelaide (Sellicks Hill)WF 100C-81.6C
CedunaWurrung 2502C1.6C
Mt GambierWF 100C-81.6C
WoomeraWF 100C-81.6C

Tasmania

Weather radars in Tasmania[26] [27] !Name!Location!Elevation (metres)!Model Name!Beamwidth (degrees)!Range Resolution (metres)!IEEE Frequency Band!Doppler!Dual Pol!Rainfall Accumulations!Notes
Hobart (Mt Koonya)Wurrung 2502C1C
Hobart AirportWF 100C-62C
N.W. Tasmania (West Takone)Wurrung 2502C1C

Victoria

Weather radar in Victoria[28] [29] !Name!Location!Elevation (metres)!Model Name!Beamwidth (degrees)!Range Resolution (metres)!IEEE Frequency Band!Doppler!Dual Pol!Rainfall Accumulations!Notes
BairnsdaleWurrung 2502C1.6C
MelbourneMeteor 15001S
Melbourne (Broadmeadows)Wurrung 2502C1.6C
MilduraMeteor 7351C
RainbowMeteor 7351C
YarrawongaWSR 81C1C

Western Australia

Weather radars in Western Australia[30] [31] !Name!Location!Model Name!IEEE Frequency Band!Doppler!Dual Pol!Rainfall Accumulations!Notes
AlbanyMeteor 735C
BroomeWurrung 2502CC
CarnavonDWSR 2502C
DampierWRM 200C[32]
EsperanceMeteor 735C
GeraldtonMeteor 735C
GilesWF 100C-6C
Halls CreekWurrung 2502CC
KalgoorlieWurrung 2502CC
LearmonthTVDR 2500C
NewdegateWurrung 2500CC
Perth (Serpentine)Meteor 1700S
Perth AirportWurrung 2502CC
Port HedlandTVDR 2500C
South DoodlakineWurrung 2502CC
WatherooWurrung 2502CC
WyndhamWF 100C-8C

Research Radars

Note:

Research radars[33] !Name!Location!Elevation!Operational status!Radar model!IEEE Frequency Band!Doppler!Dual Pol!Notes
CPOL 50mInactive (6/12/1998 - 2/5/2017)N/ACThe data which CPOL has collected is used to study the microphysical and dynamic properties of thunderstorm convection in Darwin, Australia, enabling the improvement of atmospheric models' representations of the convection formed during the pre-monsoon buildup and active monsoon.[34] [35]
CP2185.5mInactive (1/11/2007 - 1/6/2015)N/AS & XThe CP2 Research radar was a 1970's era radar, which the BoM received as a gift from the NCAR in the United States. The BoM retrofitted it with modern parts which gave it the unique ability to collect data at two frequencies, S and X band. The upgrades also provided state of the art dual polarisation and doppler technologies. The CP in its title stands for cloud physics, and the radar has been used to research thunderstorms, drive improvements in rainfall measurements and hail detection and explore the potential for cloud seeding. [36]
Ocean PolN/A (Mobile radar)22m Active (22/3/2015-)N/ACThis research radar is installed on the RV Investigator, an ocean research vessel. The radar collects data on research voyages, including trips to Antarctic waters, Heard Island and circumnavigations of Australia. [37]
UQXPOL[38] N/A (Mobile radar)N/AActive (14/10/2014-)Furuno WR-2100XThis research radar is operated by the University of Queensland and has been involved with research to improve hail detection and hail size prediction algorithms,[39] and also with research into bushfires and pyroconvection as part of a $1 million google.org philanthropic venture.[40] [41]
Monash University x-bandN/A (Mobile radar)N/AActive Meteor 60DXX

See also

Related articles

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Severe Weather 101: Detecting Damaging Winds . NSSL . 6 January 2023.
  2. Web site: Severe thunderstorms . BoM . 8 January 2023.
  3. Lemon, Leslie R. . Ralph J. Donaldson . Donald W. Burgess . Rodger A. Brown . Doppler Radar Application to Severe Thunderstorm Study and Potential Real-Time Warning . Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society . 1977 . 58 . 11 . 1187–1193 . American Meteorological Society . 10.1175/1520-0477(1977)058<1187:DRATST>2.0.CO;2 . 26218232 . 1977BAMS...58.1187L . 6 January 2023. free .
  4. Web site: Supercell Structure and Dynamics . NWS . 6 January 2023.
  5. Web site: Dual-Pol Applications . NSSL . 7 January 2023.
  6. Luciana K. Cunha . James A. Smith . Mary Lynn Baeck . Witold F. Krajewski . An Early Performance Evaluation of the NEXRAD Dual-Polarization Radar Rainfall Estimates for Urban Flood Applications . Weather and Forecasting . 2013 . 28 . 6 . 1478–1497 . 10.1175/WAF-D-13-00046.1 . 2013WtFor..28.1478C . 6 January 2023. free .
  7. Web site: Alain Protat . Radar Science and Nowcasting Dual-pol Radar Plans at the Bureau . 9 January 2023.
  8. Web site: 10.25914/5cb686a8d9450. Soderholm. Joshua. Protat. A.. Jakob. C.. Monash University, National Computational Infrastructure, and Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Operation Weather Radar Network Archive (Australia). NCI THREDDS . 2017 . 5 June 2023.
  9. Web site: Project details for sites across Australia . BoM . 13 January 2023.
  10. Web site: Replacing radars for a more resilient network . BoM . 13 January 2023.
  11. Web site: Increasing radar coverage across Australia . BoM . 13 January 2023.
  12. Web site: Radar Upgrades . BoM . 5 May 2023.
  13. Web site: New South Wales Information. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211108000906/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/info/nsw_info.shtml. 8 November 2021. 8 November 2021. Bureau of Meteorology.
  14. Web site: NSW Radar Sites Table. live. Bureau of Meteorology. 2021-11-11. 2021-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111031129/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/nsw_radar_sites_table.shtml.
  15. Web site: Northern Territory Information. live. Bureau of Meteorology. 2021-11-09. 2021-04-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20210422181709/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/info/nt_info.shtml.
  16. Web site: NT Radar Sites Table. live. Bureau of Meteorology. 2021-11-11. 2021-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111031126/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/nt_radar_sites_table.shtml.
  17. Web site: Queensland Information . BoM . 9 January 2023.
  18. Web site: QLD Radar Sites Table. live. Bureau of Meteorology. 2021-11-11. 2021-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111031129/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/qld_radar_sites_table.shtml.
  19. Web site: C-Band Solid-State Radar . Meteopress . 19 March 2023.
  20. Web site: Mackay Radar Now Live . Media Release-Bureau of Meteorology . 11 January 2024.
  21. Web site: Brisbane's Upgraded Marburg Radar Now Live . Media Release-Bureau of Meteorology . 11 January 2024.
  22. Web site: New weather radar at Richmond supports North Queensland communities and industry . BoM . 13 January 2023.
  23. Web site: COVID-19 restrictions and floods delay delivery of Taroom weather radar. 2022-07-21.
  24. Web site: South Australia Information. live. Bureau of Meteorology. 2021-11-09. 2021-04-27. https://web.archive.org/web/20210427220857/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/info/sa_info.shtml.
  25. Web site: SA Radar Sites Table. live. Bureau of Meteorology. 2021-11-11. 2021-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111031128/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/sa_radar_sites_table.shtml.
  26. Web site: Tasmania Information . Bureau of Meteorology . 6 January 2023.
  27. Web site: TAS Radar Sites Table. live. Bureau of Meteorology. 2021-11-11. 2021-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111034218/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/tas_radar_sites_table.shtml.
  28. Web site: Victorian Information. live. 2021-11-09. 2021-06-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20210626103826/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/info/vic_info.shtml.
  29. Web site: VIC Radar Sites Table. live. Bureau of Meteorology. 2021-11-11. 2021-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111065008/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/vic_radar_sites_table.shtml.
  30. Web site: Western Australia Information. live. 2021-11-09. 2021-10-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20211019103612/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/info/wa_info.shtml.
  31. Web site: WA Radar Sites Table. live. Bureau of Meteorology. 2021-11-11. 2021-11-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20211111205920/http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/radar/wa_radar_sites_table.shtml.
  32. Web site: Weather Radar WRM200 . Vaisala . 9 January 2023.
  33. Web site: Dataset: Level 1: Radar Volumes/radar_site_list_research.csv . NCI Thredds . National Computational Infrastructure, Australian Bureau of Meteorology . 21 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230421111704/https://dapds00.nci.org.au/thredds/fileServer/rq0/radar_site_list_research.csv . 21 April 2023.
  34. Web site: CPOL . ARM . 5 January 2023.
  35. Web site: CPOL Research Radar . Openradar . 5 January 2023.
  36. Web site: Redbank Plains research radar . BoM . 5 January 2023.
  37. Web site: Ocean Pol Research Radar . Australian Unified Radar Archive . 5 January 2023.
  38. Web site: Nicholas McCarthy . Hamish McGowan . Adrien Guyot . Andrew Dowdy . MOBILE X-POL RADAR A New Tool for Investigating Pyroconvection and Associated Wildfire Meteorology . 3 December 2023.
  39. Web site: Dr Joshua Soderholm . Prof Hamish McGowan . Dr Matthew Mason . Storm Hazards Testbed . https://web.archive.org/web/20230528033652/https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/1211808/Soderholm-RadarWorkshop2017.pdf . 28 May 2023. 2023-05-28 .
  40. Web site: Ralic . Marija . The Google.org grantee using AI to detect bushfire risks . 3 December 2023.
  41. Mobile X-pol radar: a new tool for investigating pyroconvection and associated wildfire meteorology . Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society . 2018 . 10.1175/BAMS-D-16-0118.1 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220620100913/https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/99/6/bams-d-16-0118.1.xml . 28 May 2023. 2022-06-20 . McCarthy . Nicholas . McGowan . Hamish . Guyot . Adrien . Dowdy . Andrew . 99 . 6 . 1177–1195 . 2018BAMS...99.1177M . 85512739 .