Shannon Radar being replaced.

Jpmarn · 20-05-2023 5:40pm #1

According to Met Eireann work has started at Shannon Airport to replace the rainfall radar equipment with a new modern system. I believe this work began yesterday Friday the 19th. They have set up a temporary radar station somewhere in Co. Cork with the location being undisclosed. At least it will give some coverage to the south west coast but not as good as Shannon. I suspect the radar station may be in Moorepark. The work is expected to last 3 months. It will be probably late August or early September when the new radar comes online.

Discodog · 21-05-2023 7:56am

For us, on the West Coast, the temporary radar barely covers the visible horizon. Given the history of Shannon I am not confident of an on time replacement.

squonk · 21-05-2023 8:46am

Yeah what they’ve put in place is quite poor. I wouldn’t mind if it was fog a week or two but lasting the whole summer isn’t great. For the farming community it’s handy to see what’s coming especially if you’re on the coast. I’m sure it would also be useful for holiday makers sbd other professions. Mid winter might have been a better time for this work. At least you’d hope a new installation wouldn’t go down like the current setup does at least once a year.

timmyntc · 21-05-2023 8:50am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120622966#Comment_120622966

Wouldnt winter, having much higher total precip levels be a much worse time to lose precip monitoring ability in West and North-west?

Discodog · 21-05-2023 10:16am

Ideally they would build the other radars, like Valentia, then replace Shannon.

top floor · 21-05-2023 10:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120623199#Comment_120623199

IIRC Met Eireann had/has a plan to install a network of maybe 5 or 7 radars to give better coverage over the full country. I might be wrong on the number but definitely adding to just Dublin and Shannon. Is there any news on that?

Chris_5339762 · 21-05-2023 11:38am

No news, but for a new radar at Shannon they don't need planning permission (not to mention that it is falling apart). For all the other new ones I reckon they would, which will just add to the quagmire that is An Bord Pleanala at the moment.

top floor · 22-05-2023 9:22am

Planning problems might be a little easier if the first new radar stations were located on airport sites like Waterford, Sligo or Donegal and Cork. Those three would spread the range a good bit. Of course adding domewhere near Malin Head and Mizen Head would be even better but would have a longer planning wait.

Discodog · 11-06-2023 8:48am

Whilst the radar is down I am using this site which seems to be good as it combines satellite data with the existing radar.

https://www.weatherandradar.co.uk/weather-map?center=52.92,-10&placemark=53.2724,-9.051&zoom=7.42&layer=wr

They also have a good phone app

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.wetteronline.wetterapp&hl=en-GB

Discodog · 29-06-2023 10:22am

Looks like the temporary radar is down

Comhrá · 30-06-2023 8:16pm

Up running again.

jkforde · 02-07-2023 1:46pm

the temporary radar coverage appears to cover the mid-west but it is not detecting even heavy showers, so maybe the radar power isn't sufficient to return any usable data this far west

Discodog · 02-07-2023 2:39pm

It's useless for Galway, unless the rain is coming from other the West & then I think it's the Dublin radar that shows the rain.

jpgkells · 02-07-2023 3:45pm

Think that site also depending on Shannon radar. They all do. Meteo Group, Windy, MeteoBlue, Netweather UK.

mcburns07 · 11-07-2023 12:52pm

Down again 🙂

ecowise · 31-07-2023 4:20pm

Does anyone know anything about the company chosen for the new radar system?

ecowise · 31-07-2023 4:25pm

I just found the answer to my question on the tenders site:

Name and address of the contractor

Leonardo Germany GmbH

Raiffensenstr. 10

Neuss

41470

DE

jkforde · 01-08-2023 7:31pm

I'm not FB or X (!?!) to see updates on the radar upgrade, anyone have any news on how it's going?, getting tired of not having decent radar coverage in the west

ecowise · 04-08-2023 9:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120927417#Comment_120927417

I'd like to see some news on it also but I've seen nothing on Twitter.

squonk · 09-08-2023 6:33pm

Wasn’t it due to be completed end of summer or early autumn? I have September in my head fur some reason.

ecowise · 09-08-2023 10:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120957730#Comment_120957730

Just this statement about it: "Replacement work is starting in May and is expected to be completed by autumn 2023."

I have not seen an update. It seems a long time to install a new radar system.

Discodog · 10-08-2023 8:08am

Autumn starts on the first of September. I will pleasantly surprised if it's up & running by then. The lack of progress reports is disappointing but not unexpected.

jkforde · 10-08-2023 8:38am

I sent a mail to met.eireann@met.ie asking them to update that upgrade page, I'd be no harm if others lobbed in a couple more emails

Calculator123 · 15-08-2023 8:26am

Very much looking forward to the return of the radar system on this side of the country. In West Clare, and despite steady streams of torrential showers for weeks, almost none show up on the Met.ie radar. The other radar systems just can't reach sufficiently far. Makes planning hour to hour outside activity very difficult.

Staring out at the horizon has been my forecasting method of choice 😄

Comhrá · 15-08-2023 8:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959262#Comment_120959262

Sent them an email query last week. No reply so far.

Discodog · 15-08-2023 10:56am

I got this reply

Replacement work on the Shannon radar is expected to be completed by this autumn 2023.

The replacement work started in May and there will be further updates on this in the next couple of weeks as it nears completion.

https://www.met.ie/met-eireann-is-replacing-the-weather-radar-at-shannon-airport

Comhrá · 15-08-2023 1:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120980527#Comment_120980527

404: Page not found

Discodog · 15-08-2023 10:10pm

Working for me

https://www.met.ie/met-eireann-is-replacing-the-weather-radar-at-shannon-airport

squonk · 17-08-2023 7:24am

Mid October now for a return according to ME, so still 2! months to go and no guarantee that won’t slip

Met Éireann⁦‪@MetEireann‬⁩

Big Milestone today in Met Éireann’s Shannon Weather Radar Replacement Project!📡 It was a good day for the crane lift of the radar components. Next steps - installation, commissioning, & operational testing of the radar. Shannon radar rainfall obs will be back by mid-October. pic.twitter.com/3SiwYiRnkf

Supercell · 17-08-2023 10:21am

Nice X post

https://twitter.com/MetEireann/status/1691907905686053375?s=20

10-10-20 · 17-08-2023 10:25am

I actually had to replay that three times as I got lost in the standing cloud formations!

Good to see some progress though!

CrowdedHouse · 17-08-2023 12:14pm

It's a fairly shook looking place

Comhrá · 02-09-2023 12:43pm

The temporary Shannon radar is now down for the past couple of days.

From ME's x (formerly Twitter) page: https://twitter.com/MetEireann/status/1697723826073698398/photo/1

"Our temporary weather radar in the southwest is currently unavailable, and investigations are on-going to resolve the issue."

Comhrá · 04-09-2023 8:55am

Pretty sketchy coverage this morning.

http://archive.met.ie/weathermaps/radar2/WEB_radar5_202309040930.png

10-10-20 · 04-09-2023 9:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121066638#Comment_121066638

Wales and Belfast, alone?

magicbastarder · 04-09-2023 9:32am

interesting radar trace at the moment too. looks like old school radar from the movies.

Jpmarn · 13-09-2023 12:59pm

The temporary Radar based somewhere in Co. Cork has gone live within the last couple of hours after an absence of at least 10 days.

flazio · 13-09-2023 1:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121105009#Comment_121105009

Do we know where this thing is exactly? Cork Airport?

JCX BXC · 13-09-2023 3:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121105362#Comment_121105362

Seems like Moore Park

Chris_5339762 · 13-09-2023 4:17pm

They seem to be keeping it secret, but Moore Park seems to be right if you just do a rough circle on the coverage area.

Just goes to prove though that they need a decent new radar if the temporary radar was so crap it went off line for 10 days while the crap radar is being replaced.

InAtFullBack · 13-09-2023 7:51pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121105946#Comment_121105946

Is the radar 'somewhere in Cork' the former Shannon Airport one, and is the new Shannon Airport one being built on site in Shannon Airport where the old one was.

JCX BXC · 13-09-2023 7:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121106732#Comment_121106732

No it's not the old radar, and the new one will be at the airport still yes.

Jpmarn · 13-09-2023 9:43pm

The location of the temporary radar in Co. Cork was never revealed by Met Eireann. My initial guess was Moorepark near Fermoy. It could be at Cork Airport.

Kutebride · 15-09-2023 2:38pm

Radar looks mad on netweather as if the rain isn't moving from the Atlantic. The West looks dry🙈

blindsider · 17-09-2023 10:48am

As the Shannon radar is still down,it seems to me that relying on ME for rainfall forecasts is pointless.

I use Ventusky quite a bit - I like the interface and layout. I also like the fact that I can select a weather model on the bottom left. I've been using the UK MO model of late - it seems to more accurate, and I'm wondering if anyone knows where they (UKMO) get their radar for Ireland? It seems to me to be much more accurate than others. I've done 2 basic tests:

Compare the radar to actual conditions - is it raining Y/N? Does that tally with the radar Y/N? UKMO has come out well on basic checks.
Select a time in the next 36 hrs and compare again as per 1. Again, results are pretty accurate.

(Some other models e.g. ICON often tell me it's not raining (Nowcast) when it, and vice versa.)

Any thoughts? Especially on where UKMO get their radar feed?

Thanks.

Discodog · 17-09-2023 11:34am

I have been using this & I'm not impressed. The transition from forecast to actual usually shows inaccuracies in the forecast.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/maps-and-charts/rainfall-radar-forecast-map#?bbox=%5B%5B48.09275716032736,-18.061523437500004%5D,%5B56.353077613860826,10.063476562500002%5D%5D&model=ukmo-ukv&layer=rainfall-rate&timestep=1661698800000

I find this to be more accurate.

https://www.weatherandradar.co.uk/weather-map?center=53.4,-9.36&placemark=53.2724,-9.051&zoom=8.59&layer=wr

ecowise · 25-09-2023 12:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121121429#Comment_121121429

My understanding is that they use their own land stations, including the one near Lough Neagh in NI, together with Dublin & whatever other Irish terrestrial radars are operating.

blindsider · 25-09-2023 5:42pm

Thanks Ecowise - that's a useful graphic!

Chris_5339762 · 26-09-2023 9:53am

I know the long term plan is to add more, but our coverage is absolutely woeful compared to the UK.

Supercell · 26-09-2023 10:08am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121158213#Comment_121158213

True, surely there's an argument for one around Sligo I would have thought, no doubt cost is the main reason.

10-10-20 · 26-09-2023 10:10am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121158213#Comment_121158213

Shannon isn't even in Shannon on that graphic - it's more like Limerick city.

Shannon Radar being replaced.

Comments

Name and address of the contractor