Canada’s newest, state-of-the-art radar station has started operating northwest of Saskatoon near Radisson.
It’s the first of its kind on Canadian soil and will be used by meteorologists to more accurately track and forecast precipitation and tornadoes in central Saskatchewan.
The Radisson weather radar station was down for eight months as the old radome was replaced.
“This is in line with the types of radars they use in the (United) States,” Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang said.
The new station uses dual-polarization technology, which helps forecasters better distinguish between rain, snow, hail, and freezing rain.
It also measures how intensely the precipitation is falling and what speed the particles in a storm are moving.
The new radar will give data every six minutes as opposed to every 10 minutes and its range to detect rotation and tornadoes is double that of the old station.
“It can see a lot further in terms of its Doppler capabilities, it used to be 120 kilometres it could see Doppler-wise, but with this radar, it’s 240 kilometres,” Lang said.
These features are expected to revolutionize weather forecasting in Canada’s tornado alley and eventually across the country – once the other 30 radar stations get replaced, a project that’s set to by 2023.
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