The MetService is continuing work to establish a $3million weather radar near Dunedin, capable of more clearly warning emergency services about issues such as flooding.
Otago Regional Council engineering, hazards and science director Dr Gavin Palmer told a recent council technical committee meeting that the MetService had identified a "preferred general area for the radar''.
The MetService was investigating "how practical it would be'' to locate the radar at several possible sites in the area, Dr Palmer said in a report.
Such radar would "help improve rainfall measurement and forecasting'' in Otago, he said.
MetService corporate affairs general manager Jacqui Bridges said the process was "on track'' and the weather radar was expected to be installed in the summer of 2018, in the 2018-19 financial year.
The MetService was looking at some sites near Dunedin but could not be more specific about locations at this stage, she said yesterday.
The overall process of installing weather radar took three years, she said.
A small building to house computer equipment would be sited near the radar equipment, and physical access to the site had to be ensured.
Dr Palmer said yesterday the radar would help the ORC undertake emergency management and warning work.
The radar would "give us a much better picture of the situation, particularly what's about to happen''.
Such radar would have helped in incidents such as the flooding in South Dunedin last year.
Also, when the Taieri was flooded in 2006, rain gauges suggested the rain was starting to ease off but in fact another period of intensely wet weather was about to strike.
Radar would have made it much easier to interpret what the rain gauges were saying and to guard against continuing risk of bad weather, he said.
