One News, Tuesday. May 2, 2023.
Wellington’s rain radar is up and running again after a being offline for two months to undergo a significant upgrade.
This is the sixth radar in MetService’s network of 10 radars that now operates dual polarisation technology. The remaining four will be upgraded, also.
The new $2.1 million radar provides real-time rain observations for the central North Island, and the upper South Island.
“The upgraded radar provides more detailed information for our meteorologists such as the size and shape of precipitation (raindrops, hailstones or snowflakes), which means we have a much clearer picture of what’s happening in the atmosphere during a weather event,” said Metservice’s Chief Executive Stephen Hunt.
More: https://www.1news.co.nz/2023/05/02/wellington-rain-radar-online-again-after-major-upgrade/
Metservice on Facebook.com ,Tues, 3 May 2023:
After a major upgrade, Wellington’s rain radar is back online
The new radar provides central New Zealand with enhanced real-time rain observations, particularly important during severe weather events. The radar uses the latest dual polarisation technology which allows meteorologists to identify different types of precipitation, be it rain, hail or snow.
With a spell of wet weather on the way for the capital from Wednesday evening, MetService meteorologists and the public will have a keen eye on the new radar imagery through this week.
See video: https://www.facebook.com/MetService/videos/2567045903443253
Related:
Dual-polarimetric radar transmits and receives pulses in both a horizontal and vertical orientation. As a result, the returning frequencies provide measurements of the horizontal and vertical dimensions of targets, supplying forecasters with better estimates of the size, shape, and variety of targets.