20 April 2006 - Nationals federal
MP for Dawson De-Anne Kelly today opened the new
Bureau of Meteorology facility on Mt Bassett.
The local bureau has been operating from the new
centre atop Mt Bassett since March 3 and replaces
the existing facility that has served the Bureau
on the same site since 1959.
Mrs Kelly said hawk-eyed locals might have already
noticed the Bureau’s distinctive building.
“The new centre has been purpose-built for the
Bureau of Meteorology and includes a new weather
radar housed within a distinctive white radome
and replaced the existing equipment in operation
since 1971,” Mrs Kelly said.
“This new fully-operational weather watch radar
will provide meteorologists, and the public through
the Bureau's website, with the ability to more
easily detect and accurately track severe weather
events including tropical cyclones and heavy rains
along the Queensland coast,” she said.
Mr Hunt said the new radar will provide meteorologists
with more detailed imagery showing the intensity,
location and movement of rainfall.
“This will enable them to more closely monitor
weather patterns, but will also be used to track
weather balloons to measure conditions in the
upper atmosphere,” Mr Hunt said.
“I congratulate De-Anne Kelly who has been committed
to the new centre from the beginning and has been
active in ensuring that the Mackay office has
the best technical facilities available.
“Although the Mackay region has been fortunate
in recent years to avoid major tropical cyclone
impacts, the city was partially destroyed in 1918
by destructive cyclonic winds and an exceptionally
high storm tide.”
The Mackay Meteorological Office radar is being
replaced as one of 15 weather watch radars to
be replaced or upgraded under the five-year $62
million radar upgrade project announced through
the 2003-04 Budget.
