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Testing for the upgraded radar in Bethune is underway and the new-and-improved weather detection equipment should be ready by the end of September.
According to Regina-based tornado hunter Greg Johnson, that’s “a great thing.”
“It’s unfortunate that it’s the end of the storm season — we’re moving now into the fall — but for next year when the spring and summer rolls around, (the upgraded equipment) is going to be incredibly valuable,” Johnson said Wednesday.
“I think we saw a few times this year where there were storms that rolled through the Regina area and we really had no radar to go off of and that’s a tough situation.”
In July, Environment Canada explained the system that was in place while the Bethune radar station was down for repairs.
Johnson stressed that Environment Canada didn’t miss any events during that time, but there may have been delays before the weather service got the news out. With the Bethune station operating again — and with its image available on a website — it’s better for everyone.
“It’s going to give the average person the opportunity again to go online, have a look at the radar and be able to make an assessment on their own …” Johnson said.
“The information is going to be more complete and it’s just better information overall. To make the analogy, you’ve got 100 points of data versus two or three points of data.”
According to the federal government, the new equipment features technology that would allow forecasters to better determine whether it’s rain, snow or hail that’s falling.
The new radar would also be better at spotting and removing things like birds, bugs and debris from the data, resulting in more accurate and timely alerts during severe weather.
With more advance notice, people can take steps to stay safe, the government says.
As well, the equipment comes with double the range for detecting tornadoes, from 120 kilometres to 240 km.
In Johnson’s mind, one of the best features is the speed of the station’s technology.
He noted that, before the upgrade, the radar image updated every 15 to 20 minutes. That didn’t always provide information in the most timely way possible.
“(With) tornadoes as an example, their entire life cycle might be seven or eight minutes so you could have that entire life cycle of a very devastating event happening between two radar images,” Johnson said.
“With the upgrade, we should be looking at three- to four-minute — and maybe even quicker in some cases — updates to the radar information.”
The government believes industries like agriculture, aviation and construction will benefit as they rely on the information for strategic planning.
The federal government is currently in the middle of a seven-year program started in 2017 to install 20 new radars across Canada at a cost of $83 million.
Ottawa has replaced an additional six radars, bringing its total investment to $107 million.