Port Hedland 256km Radar/Lightning

LocationPort Hedland Airport Radar TypeWF 44 S Band Typical Availability24 hours

The Port Hedland Radar has an unrestricted 360 degree view with no permanent echoes. During the dry season (April through to December) occasional false echoes occur, generally characterised by small clusters or spots of very low intensity which appear to move at random, mostly over land. During the wet season, thunderstorm clouds and cyclonic formations are generally well defined for distances up to approx 250 kilometres. Beyond that distance signal attenuation gives the appearance of less intensity than possibly exists. These formations are easily identified against false echoes by their regular patterns in movement and direction. It is common in the wet season (primarily January to March) for thunderstorm cells to be seen on almost a daily basis in the area south of Port Hedland. Isolated growing storms can merge to form a line running in a NE/SW direction, located anywhere from 60 kilometres to 200 kilometres south of Port Hedland. Favourable locations for thunderstorm activity as seen on the radar in these events are generally over the ranges south of Port Hedland. During the wet months some anomalous propagation can occur out at sea, however it is generally distinguishable from "real" echoes by random movement and low intensity spots or clusters. Heavy rain directly over the radar site can cause attenuation of all signals. Path attenuation can also occur when the radar beam passes through intense rainfall, with the returned signals from cells further along that path reduced.