Weather radar for Tennant Creek

NT radars: Alice Springs Darwin Darwin Airport Gove Katherine Tennant Creek

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Tennant Creek Weather Watch and Windfinding Radar

Location: Tennant Creek Airport
Type: WF 100 C Band
Availability: 2145-0500; 0600-0845; 0945-1430; 1530-2045

Geographical Aspects; The radar at Tennant Creek is situated just to the north west of the township. Approximately 3km north-east of the radar site lies a low range of hills which form part of the McDouall Range. These hills run east to west reaching 430m above mean sea level. This is about 50m above the level of the radar, blocking the radar's horizon. "Two Tank Hill", 200m from the radar site, and running east to west, obscures most of the horizon to the south. In all other directions the radar has a clear skyline. Meteorological Aspects; The effect of the obstructions to the north-east and south will be most noticeable with shallow wide spread rain. If these rain echoes are moving, they will appear to weaken or completely disappear when they move 'behind' the hills, only to appear again once they move out of behind the obstructing hills. Wet season thunderstorms and rain-bearing depressions, which extend to great heights, will be able to be detected and tracked in all directions while they are above the radar's skyline. Non-meteorological echoes; In most cases, processing of the radar signal removes permanent echoes caused by hills, buildings and other solid objects, but sometimes a few slip through. These show up as small, stationary patches of very light rain, mostly along the higher ground. Under stable atmospheric conditions in the dry season, anomalous propagation may cause these patches of stationary echoes to be more prominent or increase in number.