The Bureau of Meteorology has confirmed it has signed the site lease for a new weather radar at Mildura.
The Minister for Environment, Sussan Ley said the move would take the communities surrounding Mildura in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia one step closer to state-of-the-art weather technology.
“The current Mildura radar is the second-oldest of the Bureau’s more than 60 radars and has been operating from its present location at the town’s airport since 1989,” Ms Ley said.
She said the new radar would be built 45 kilometres west of Mildura, in Cullulleraine, and would deliver improved coverage and weather information.
The new radar would provide vastly improved weather services to important agricultural areas in the region, Ms Ley said.
“Technological improvements will include Doppler capability and Dual Pol technology,” she said.
“This means we can measure not just where particles are in the sky, but also how fast they are moving and what kind of particles they are likely to be.”
She said it would detect rain drops, hail, bushfire plumes, rain intensity and wind velocity and provide an improved real-time weather services for the community.
The $5 million upgrade was part of a multi-year project to upgrade or replace the Bureau’s entire radar network, Ms Ley said.
She said work was also under way to install three new radars throughout western NSW, funded by the NSW Government.
“I know how much regional communities depend on good weather information, and that’s why we are undertaking this significant body of work to uplift the country’s radar network,” Ms Ley said.
“This new radar — along with the broader improvements of the country’s radar network — will be critical in helping businesses make better decisions and keep communities safe from the impacts of severe weather,” she said.
Ms Ley said the Mildura radar was expected to start operating early next year.
