Radar

Mackay radar has a good view of the surrounding area and is rarely affected by anomalous propagation. Some permanent echoes occur to the north and west. Showers in the SE trade wind flow are generally well picked up but when they are restricted in height the range of detection decreases so that showers around the Whitsunday Islands and northward can be under-represented. Generally the radar's range for coastal showers extends from about St Lawrence to Bowen. Path attenuation also occurs when the radar beam passes through an intense thunderstorm cell; the returned signal from cells further along that path will be reduced. Apart from these features, the radar performs well and gives a reasonably accurate representation of rainfall intensity. During episodes of fresh to strong winds (>20kt or 38km/h) sea clutter can be seen up to 30km from the coast possibly masking light inshore showers.