06/04/2005 - Mr Greg Hunt,
Parliamentary Secretary with ministerial responsibility
for the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and
Mr John Forrest, Federal Member for Mallee
today announced that a new state-of-the-art
Automatic Weather Station (AWS) at Edenhope
in Western Victoria will provide half hourly
reports in support of improved fire services
during the fire season.
"For more than a decade, CFA has operated
a network of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS)
in western Victoria to monitor weather conditions
that may affect fire fighting operations,
such as summer-time wind changes," Mr
Hunt said.
"CFA has now decided that it would be
of mutual benefit to have the Australian Bureau
of Meteorology own and operate this network
as part of the Bureau's national Automatic
Weather Station network of over 540 stations
nationwide."
Mr Forrest said an AWS was installed at Edenhope
in the late 1980s following serious wildfires
that occurred in Victoria in 1977, 1983 and
1985.
"The new AWS will be located at Edenhope
airport and will be useful for the local aviators
as well as the rural community in the area,"
Mr Forrest said.
"It will provide accurate readings of
temperature, humidity and wind as well as
rainfall every hour 365 days a year. During
the fire season, it will report to the Bureau
every half hour.
"Should there be a significant change
in the weather, for example a wind change
or sudden temperature change, then this will
be immediately reported to the Bureau. These
reports will also be forwarded to CFA and
the Fire Management Branch of the Department
of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) every
10 minutes during hazardous conditions, ensuring
that the fire authorities have the very latest
information available.
"This new facility, along with other
upgrades in the network, will help the Bureau,
DSE and CFA to closely monitor the weather
and will contribute towards safer and more
effective fire fighting, benefiting farmers
and crop dusters and the local community in
general."
CFA has provided funding for replacement and
upgrade of several AWSs to the Bureau standard
and the Edenhope AWS is the third to be upgraded
in the old CFA network. Data from the Edenhope
AWS is available at: http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDV65119.shtml
[please note - link is case sensitive].
