WA farmers grapple with three-month BOM radar outage ahead of planting season
A Kimberley pastoralist says the radar will be of little use by the time it comes back online at the end of the wet season.
www.abc.net.auHere are the latest developments I can share based on recent public reporting.
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Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has announced a temporary weather radar will replace the damaged Wyndham radar in Western Australia. The temporary unit is expected to restore radar imagery by October 2026 and is planned to operate for up to three years while a permanent replacement is procured. This temporary radar will include Doppler and dual-polarisation capabilities, though its coverage area may be smaller due to lower power. It will fill gaps in the north-eastern Kimberley and north-west Gregory districts until full restoration.[1]
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The Wyndham radar outage began after a lightning strike on Christmas Day caused a fire that destroyed the radar, leaving the north-eastern Kimberley without radar coverage for an extended period. BOM officials indicated that forecasters would rely on other nearby radars and satellite imagery during the outage, and that the outage could affect planning for the wet season, which is critical for local farming and safety decisions.[2]
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There has been broader public and stakeholder attention to BoM radar and map tools in 2025–2026, including discussions about radar color schemes and the BoM’s online map viewer. Some reporting notes improvements and ongoing feedback from users, including farmers, about ease of use and access to data during radar outages or website transitions.[3][5]
If you’d like, I can pull the most current alerts or provide a quick by-region outlook for your area in Montréal (or compare how Australian radar outages may influence forecasting practices globally). Would you like a concise update for a specific region or a short summary of how BoM manages radar outages and continuity of warning services?
Citations:
- Temporary radar to replace Wyndham radar; expected October 2026; Doppler and dual-polarisation; coverage caveats.[1]
- Kimberley outage timeline and impact; alternatives during outage; lightning event causing damage.[2]
- BoM radar/map viewer updates and user feedback context.[5][3]