New Radar Services
As part of the Radar Network and Doppler Services Upgrade Project (RNDSUP), the Bureau of Meteorology has been developing and implementing several new radar services. The key services outcomes for the project are as follows:
- Improved forecasts of severe weather phenomena for the general public.
- Improved forecasts of severe weather for aviation.
- Improved rainfall monitoring and nowcasting (i.e. very short range forecasting).
- Greater support for emergency services.
- New displays of severe weather related information for media, emergency services and the community.
The underlying philosophy of the current project is engaging the people who will be using the information to assist the Bureau to develop real service improvement. This will occur using the very close links the Bureau enjoys with key groups including emergency services and media outlets, as well as through examining how radar is used at the moment by the community at large. This is an iterative process, and effective service improvement should continue into the future.
High Resolution Web Radar Images
The first new service to be implemented as part of the RNDSUP was enhanced web radar images for the new Doppler radars. Current web radar images are based on data with a resolution of 2km. The new Doppler radars will produce images with finer detail using data with a resolution of 500m. Below, an example of a radar image from the existing Sellicks Hill radar (2km resolution), and a below that image is a more detailed image from the Buckland Park radar.
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| Image from conventional radar at
Sellicks Hill (2km resolution) |
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| Image from new Doppler radar at Buckland Park (500m resolution) |
Graphical Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
As part of the RNDSUP the Bureau has already implemented an enhanced
severe thunderstorm warning service in New South Wales (including the
Australian Capital Territory), Queensland and Victoria. It is planned
to extend this service to South Australia and eventually the Northern
Territory, Tasmania and Western Australia. The aim of these warnings is
to better define the areas under threat when dangerous thunderstorms are
occurring. The new products contain graphics that will complement the
Bureau's traditional text-based warning products. An example of a detailed
Graphical Severe Thunderstorm Warning is given below.
Further information about Graphical Severe Thunderstorm Warnings:
New
South Wales
Queensland
Victoria
South
Australia
Rainfall Accumulations
Another exciting product suite that has been released as part of the RNDSUP is radar-derived rainfall data products. The rainfall accumulation products will allow users to view the amount of rain that has occurred over a given time period, i.e. 6/10 minutes, 1 hour, 24 hours, since 9am. An example of the 1 hour rainfall accumulation product for the Melbourne Doppler radar is given below:
Rainfall Forecasts
The rainfall forecast products will allow users to view a estimate of the amount of rain that will fall in the next 90 minutes. It is anticipated that these products will enhance current services both by improving the information available to weather and flood forecasters, and by expanding the radar-derived meteorological information available to the public.
Enhanced Forecasts Using Doppler Data
An integral and important part of the RNDSUP is the implementation of
a new national radar training program for Australian forecasters. As the
Doppler radars are implemented in each state, forecasters will undergo
extensive radar training. The training enables forecasters to refresh
and update their radar skills and knowledge. The new Bureau Doppler radars
will supply high quality data that will not only allow forecasters to
diagnose rainfall but also wind flows in the atmosphere. A particular
focus of the training program is enhancing skills and knowledge that will
allow forecasters to apply the new Doppler velocity data to the forecasting
of wind changes and wind flows, and to ascertain the potential severity
of a thunderstorm. The image below is taken from the Doppler radar at
Buckland Park. The air is moving in the directions shown by the arrows.
Radar Viewer
The RNDSUP has also developed and implemented a new radar viewer. The radar web site is the most popular Bureau web site, and receives much feedback and comment. It is clear from this feedback that the public value and respect the information the Bureau provides, and in response to the this feedback we have developed a new and flexible radar viewer. The viewer allows the user to specify the features to be displayed on the radar maps. The available map overlays are locations, range, topography, lakes and major rivers, river catchments, roads, railways, weather forecast districts and current observations. An example of an image from the radar viewer is shown below.
