The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has installed a weather radar in Toowoomba in the Darling Downs region of Queensland.
Local impact
Images from the radar are now live on BoM’s website and the BOM weather app. The radar is intended to add coverage to current radar gaps to the west and southwest of Toowoomba.
Dr Peter Stone, senior responsible officer for the BoM Queensland, said, “This includes the northern parts of the Moonie and Border rivers catchments, the upper Condamine River catchment, and the mining and resources precinct around Chinchilla.”
Severe weather
The Toowoomba radar will improve the bureau’s ability to make weather observations in the region and warn the community about the potential impacts of severe weather as these events unfold. It will provide access to real-time rainfall observations for agriculture and industry, including dryland and irrigated agriculture in the upper Moonie River, Border River and Condamine-Culgoa River catchments power station operations near Chinchilla; critical transportation links to the west of Toowoomba including the Warrego Highway and South-West Railway Corridor; and Wellcamp Airport and local aviation emergency operators.
“The new radar will enable improved flood forecasting and better planning during severe weather events for the travel industry and Condamine, Moonie and Border Rivers catchment communities,” Dr Stone said.
According to BoM, the community, emergency services and local industries such as agriculture, transportation and tourism will benefit from the latest radar technology that will enable industries and businesses to make better decisions when preparing for severe weather; help farming businesses make timely decisions, such as movement of stock, chemical and fertilizer application, sowing and harvesting; and increase forecast accuracy every year.
The Australian radar and observation network
The Toowoomba radar is the last of four new radars built in Queensland as part of an A$77.2m (US$49.8m) commitment by the Australian government. The Richmond, Greenvale and Taroom radars were completed between 2021 and 2022. In 2023, BoM upgraded the Brisbane (Marburg), Cairns and Mackay weather radars. These projects are part of the bureau’s ongoing work to enhance and improve the Australian radar and observation network of more than 11,000 assets including satellites, upper atmosphere monitoring, automatic weather stations, ocean buoys and flood warning networks.
In related news, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) recently signed a five-year strategic relationship agreement with the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) to collaborate and share data and knowledge and exchange capabilities. Click here to read the full story.