Rainbow radar
The southern Mallee town of Rainbow will play an integral role in a multi-million-dollar project likely to add a new dimension to agricultural prosperity and potential across western Victoria.
Rainbow will be the site of a new real-time weather radar station that regional farmers and development leaders are confident will generate and save millions of dollars.
The Bureau of Meteorology confirmed yesterday that Rainbow would be the home of the state-of-the-art dual polarised Doppler radar, which will be called the Rainbow Radar.
The bureau said the new radar station was under construction in Germany and was due to start operating in mid-2020, ‘if not sooner’.
Some estimates are that having access to real-time weather information will generate $52.5-million in agricultural productivity alone during the anticipated 15-year life-span of the station.
The announcement at Horsham Town Hall yesterday represented a major victory for Wimmera Development Association, which has driven the project since the late 2000s.
Association executive director Ralph Kenyon said the project represented a ‘remarkable journey’ and thanked everyone involved. “When preparing the business case for the weather radar, Wimmera Development Association was amazed at the potential cost savings and productivity benefits involved. It far exceeded our expectations,” he said.
“Within the agriculture sector alone, we expect to have gains of close to $3.5-million a year over the life of the radar.
“Considering the radar costs about $8.5-million in capital and operational expenses over a 15-year period, the radar will pay for itself in two and half years.
“That is only in agriculture. That doesn’t include financial benefits that might apply to managing emergencies, water resources and aviation.”
The State Government provided $5-million to build the station and the Federal Government $3.2-million for operation and maintenance.
The new radar will eliminate what regional leaders have described as a weather-forecasting ‘black hole’ between radar stations at Mildura and Mt Gambier.
It means the region will have realtime access to critical information about approaching weather, which will heavily influence project planning and management.
Project leaders, after an extensive and detailed process, chose Rainbow as the site that would ‘best serve both the Wimmera and the wider Australian weather radar network’.
Bureau of Meteorology Victorian state manager Dr Andrew Tupper said the project had been the result of cooperation.
“The Federal Government, through the Bureau of Meteorology, and the State Government, represented by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, have been working closely with Wimmera Development Association on this important infrastructure project,” Dr Tupper said.
“Because the radar is such a significant project, it has been vital for all parties to get the details right to ensure that it provides the maximum benefit, particularly for the region’s primary producers who depend so much on accurate rain forecasts.
“The data available through the radar will help growers to make informed choices about harvesting, tillage and the use of chemicals and fertilisers.”
Dual polarised Doppler radars provide one of the best tools for observing real-time rain, storms and even debris in the atmosphere, across large areas.
Radars use electromagnetic waves similar to wireless computer networks and mobile phones to detect raindrops, hail or snow.
Doppler radars can also measure wind by detecting the speed of movement of the water they encounter.