The Hon Sussan Ley MP, Minister for the Environment
The Hon Rick Wilson MP, Member for O'Connor
Residents of Australia's largest outback city and the surrounding region will have access to more reliable and up-to-date weather information, with the Bureau of Meteorology completing significant upgrades to the Kalgoorlie radar.
Over the past two months a new digital receiver and control system for the Kalgoorlie radar has been installed.
Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said the improvements to the radar will benefit the local community, especially those working in the resources and aviation industry.
"Weather information is incredibly important for our local residents and industries.
"As a result of the upgrade, the Kalgoorlie radar will show more improved rain image quality and have a greater ability to track the location and strength of wind changes using Doppler technology.
"The radar will also mean improved severe storm predictions, as it can detect weather systems such as tornadoes and intense rain during storms."
Member for O'Connor Rick Wilson said that the new data will also give emergency services enhanced information about bushfires, including better fire plume height estimation and detection of fire-generation thunderstorms, so they can inform decisions to keep the community safe.
"Bushfires can be devastating for regional communities. The new technology in the Kalgoorlie radar will mean the community will have better information about fire activity at their fingertips," Mr Wilson said.
"It is important for the Goldfields to have access to the best possible service and this is a positive step for our community."
The Kalgoorlie radar is the 5th radar out of 46 in total that will be upgraded as part of a multi-year Australian Government project delivering the most significant upgrade to the Bureau's radar and observation network in a generation. Kalgoorlie's upgrade follows communities near Ceduna (South Australia), Bairnsdale and Mildura (Victoria) and Dampier (WA) receiving upgrades to their radars during the past 12 months.
Together with the 46 radar upgrades, by June 2024, the Bureau of Meteorology will deliver 8 new radars, plus upgrades to nearly 700 automatic weather stations and 200 flood warning network assets.
