The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is installing a temporary weather radar in Wyndham, Western Australia, that will provide access to radar imagery from October 2026 after the old radar was destroyed by a fire late last year. The self-contained temporary radar will be in place for up to three years until a new radar is procured and installed.
The radar will provide the same weather information as before, plus Doppler and dual‑polarization capability, which were not available on the old radar. Doppler enables it to measure wind speed and dual-polarization gives extra information which helps with image correction.
However, due to the temporary radar’s lower power output, the radar coverage area may be smaller than the permanent radar’s coverage area. There will be no radar coverage in the northeast Kimberley and northwest Gregory districts until the temporary Wyndham radar is installed. Halls Creek weather radar provides some coverage south of Wyndham.
The Bureau of Meteorology’s Western Australia manager James Ashley said forecasters draw on many different information sources to monitor and predict weather: “While radars are an important part of the Bureau’s observations network, and we understand the value the community places on them, they are one part of a composite observing network that we draw data from for forecasting.
“While the temporary radar is being installed, it will be business-as-usual for the Bureau’s warning services and forecasts for the northeast Kimberley and northwest Gregory districts.
“We work very closely with emergency services and keep them informed of changes to all information sources.”
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