Weather radars play a vital role in short term weather forecasting and for meteorological research.
They are being used routinely in meteorology to monitor storms and follow their evolution, as well as observe winds and detect regions where severe weather might develop. Specialists in radar meteorology , with backgrounds in meteorology, engineering, and computer science, work to improve the use of radar as a meteorological instrument. At McGill University, we own and operate several weather radars and other meteorological sensors , with many of them running around the clock. For example, our large S-band Doppler radar is used for weather surveillance around the Montreal area. Part of the Canadian radar network, it is used by the local weather office to monitor weather in real-time .