The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) – National Research Institute is starting construction of a new meteorological radar on St. Anne’s Mountain in the Opole Province. Completion of construction works, installation, commissioning and putting the device into operational use is scheduled for July/August 2023.

The radar on St. Anne’s Mountain is an important element of the Flood Protection Project in the Oder and Vistula river basins, co-financed by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the EU Cohesion Fund and the state budget. Implementation of this programme will significantly improve the safety of the population, property and infrastructure.

The planned investments, including those at St. Anne’s Mountain, represent another milestone for Polish radar meteorology. It will be possible to measure additional parameters and generate more products. Coverage of the Polish area by radar data will also be significantly increased.

Radars are a valuable source of information on current weather. They can be used to track the development and movement of precipitation, as well as to determine wind speed or the size of hail. Radar data is used in meteorological and hydrological models, forecasts and warnings.

“The radar will stand in a place seemingly well monitored by other devices. However, if we take into account the terrain and the specifics of radar measurements, it becomes clear that not all areas in the south of the country are adequately recorded and building another radar in this area is justified. It will be located between two large mountain ranges including the Carpathian Mountains and the Sudeten Mountains – in a place where conditions are favourable for the formation of dangerous phenomena. Situating the radar here will allow for earlier warnings about threats and, consequently, will improve safety.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński