A new high-tech piece of equipment will soon be providing detailed information to meteorologists and residents alike in Eastern Newfoundland.
The radar in Holyrood has been dark since June as technicians worked to install a brand new station. During that time, Environment Canada has been relying on neighbouring stations and other tools—such as satellite imagery—which provide a less-complete picture.
It’s just one of 27 new radars to be installed across Canada, promising more detailed forecast information and improved coverage. Among the improvements, Environment Canada says the new stations will effectively double the doppler range and enable meteorologists to better distinguish between types of precipitation.
Meteorologist Justin Boudreau from Environment Canada’s Gander office says the station is currently functioning, however it is still in the evaluation period. He says equipment such as this tends to require calibration to ensure the most accurate results.
Pending a successful evaluation phase, the new Holyrood radar is scheduled to go live for the public to see on October 5.