Mackay weather watchers may not have to wait much longer for the Bureau of Meteorology's radar to be back online, after a lengthy downtime this year.
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Works to replace the Mackay weather radar with dual-polarised Doppler radar technology began on June 1.
"The old radar is currently switched off to allow for the new tower and radome to be installed. The process takes approximately six months," a Bureau of Meteorology spokesperson said.
"During the replacement process there is typically an outage period (or multiple outage periods) of three to six months depending upon the site.
"The existing radar is turned off to allow for site works and installation of the new radar.
"Radar replacements are significant projects and works are delivered in several stages."
The spokesperson said after design and construction, building approvals, delivery of components, site designs, foundations, and the existing radar being switched off will locals see their trusty weather guru back online.
Some components have already been installed, putting the new radar on track for delivery by the end of the year.
A new mast, antenna, radome, and radar cabinet have been put in place at the Mount Bassett location at Mackay Harbour.
"We test and check data quality to confirm the radar is operating properly. Any outages or unforeseen issues are addressed," the spokesperson said.
"At 'go live' stage, the radar begins recording data. This is delivered to Australians through bom.gov.au, the BoM Weather app and our wide range of specialist products."
Despite the outage, the spokesperson said there has been no impact to forecasts and warnings for the area, which have been collated for residents using satellites, upper atmosphere monitoring and automatic weather stations.
"The upgraded radar...will provide the local community and industry with more reliable and up-to-date weather information," the spokesperson said.
"Once complete, the community, emergency services and local industry will benefit from dual-polarised Doppler radar technology for observing real-time rainfall and wind conditions across large areas."
