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- The Mackay meteorological office, located at Mount Basset North Mackay,
opened in January 1959.
- Weather watch radar (Type 277F) operated until 1971 when it was upgraded
to type WF44.
- An Automatic Weather Station (AWS) was installed in October 1995.
- A new office was formally commissioned on the Mount Basset site on
20 April 2006 incorporating a state-of-the-art dome type radar; the
latter having a dual purpose role of weather-watch and wind-finding.
- The daily observation and weather-watch programme incorporates AWS
reports every hour, as well as synoptic observations every three hours.
Meteorological observations are synchronised with those taken at other
Bureau stations around Australia. This information is supplemented by
observations from further sites operated by co-operative observers and
from the Bureau's network of AWS's. Hydrogen-filled balloons are released
several times each day and transmit back to the station meteorological
information about the upper level wind structure.
- Meteorological observations have also been taken at the Mackay Airport
from 1950, with an AWS installed in 1995.
- All this data is incorporated into scientific models to assist with
forecasts on local, state, national and global levels. This information
is also archived to form a comprehensive climate database, which is
essential to current and ongoing research.
- As part of its service to the local maritime community the Mackay
office broadcasts coastal waters forecasts using VHF radio, with coverage
from about the lower Whitsunday Islands to Percy Island. Marine Consultative
Committee (MCC) meetings are held each year in Mackay to improve dialogue
between the Bureau and marine weather service users.
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