'Better quality' weather data on the radar for Goldfields
The Bureau of Meteorology in Kalgoorlie says data from its new 24-hour weather radar is set to become available to the public next month.
The radar will provide real-time weather scans of the Goldfields and give a more accurate prediction of where weather systems will hit.
Station manager Jenny Feast says the radar was built in June last year and scientific testing of the quality of its data is now in its final stages.
"We want to check that everything is running absolutely correctly because this radar is super sensitive and with any new piece of advanced technology each one has its little nuances, so we're working to ensure that the best quality of the radar images and data are provided before we go live, which will minimise any interruptions," she said.
She says it will provide wide-ranging coverage for the region.
"Particularly the rain systems coming through the Goldfields," she said.
"It gives us a really good idea of how quickly those systems are moving and where they'll hit because this is covering quite a large part of the Goldfields and because it's so sensitive the outlying areas are going to have a better quality of data than we had with the old radar."