Now we can watch it too. Now anyone on the Net can share the bureau's view of approaching storms. A radar at Appin, in the Southern Highlands, shows the view across Sydney, as well as Nowra to Wyong, inland to Bathurst and Goulburn, and more than 100 kilometres out to sea. Other NSW radar stations linked to the Net are Williamtown, Moree, Grafton and Wagga Wagga. The radar bounces signals off rain to produce colour-coded pictures revealing storm intensity.
Light drizzle appears as a dark blue patch on the screen, while violent storms appear pink or red.
Usually when you have red you have hail in the clouds. The real test will come with the first tropical cyclones of the season. It will get a lot of hits. The radar images are updated every 10 minutes. The bureau intends to upgrade the site to provide the last two views, allowing Net users to see the speed and direction of storms.