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Thursday, 29 March 2001
MEDIA RELEASE - PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND HERITAGE
Yarrawonga selected for weather radar dish in Northern Victoria
The Bureau of Meteorology's new weather radar system for North-Central Victoria will be situated at the Yarrawonga aerodrome, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Sharman Stone, and the Federal Member for Indi, Lou Lieberman, announced today. The aerodrome offered the best geographic and publicly accessible location in the region.
Sharman Stone said the new facility, to be installed by the Bureau, would fill the gap for radar coverage that had long extended over central and northern Victoria. It is expected to be operational by this time next year.
"The radar will improve short-term forecasting of severe storms and floods over much of northern Victoria and parts of southern New South Wales," Sharman Stone said.
"The new radar dish will take the number of Weather Watch radars in Victoria to four. It will cover an area that is bisected by the Murray River and which is not covered by existing Bureau radars at Mildura, Melbourne and Wagga Wagga.
"More than 50 radars now make up the Bureau network, which almost completely covers the Australian coastline. It is particularly valuable for regions subject to severe thunderstorms, heavy rain and tropical cyclones.
"Horticultural areas covered by the radar can expect better warnings for hail and thunderstorms - a major problem for our local Murray and Goulburn Valley orchardists during critical times in the growing season," Sharman Stone said.
For the technically minded, the new C-band radar with a wavelength of five centimetres will transmit microwave energy around 360 degrees and out to 200 to 300 kilometres. A small amount of the energy that hits raindrops and other forms of precipitation rebounds back to the radar dish where it is collected and converted to an electrical signal. The signal indicates the location of the rain - measured by how long it takes for the beam to rebound - and the intensity of the rainfall - indicated by the strength of the return signal.
"This information is transmitted to the Bureau's head office in Melbourne and made available as an on-screen display to forecasters and to the general public on the Bureau website www.bom.gov.au/weather/radar/ ," Sharman Stone said.
"I am pleased that the people of Northern Victoria and Southern NSW with access to the internet will be able to use this new service to track the weather for their sporting and recreation needs," Mr Lieberman said. "Farmers will find it a great tool in tracking unusual weather events."
Ends
Further information:
Simon Frost, tel: (02) 6277 2016 or 0419 495 468
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