The Zimbabwe Government, through its Meteorological Services Department, has chosen Baron, the worldwide leader in critical weather intelligence, to provide weather technology that will significantly improve public safety. Five Baron Gen3 C-band dual-polarization weather radars will be installed throughout the country, along with 10 Baron Lynx Advanced Forecaster Workstations.
The superior high-resolution data from the radars will give the Meteorological Services Department increased weather awareness and be the foundation for a more effective early warning system that can ultimately save lives.
Baron’s cutting-edge radar technology will allow the Meteorological Services Department to detect weather events earlier and forecast more precisely.
“Timely evacuation of at-risk communities whenever there is a high possibility of flooding is critical to reducing the loss of lives and property,” said Rebecca Manzou, Director of the Meteorological Services Department. “The Baron radars will help us better detect the areas and people in danger.”
Building a more effective and reliable early warning system is a top priority for the nation. Staff will use the radars to track storms, forecast flooding and precipitation totals, and decipher rain versus hail with more confidence. These tools will also improve the observation and tracking of climate events, such as tropical cyclones that originate in the Indian Ocean and often impact Zimbabwe. Of primary concern is heavy rainfall that can lead to dangerous flash flooding and river flooding.
Baron radars feature exclusive CLEAN-AP clutter suppression technology that delivers a more precise display of weather targets. The radars also include patented Multi-radial Calibration. This groundbreaking technology calibrates the radars with every sweep, ensuring they are always accurate.
To get the best possible radar coverage for the entire nation, the radars and Baron Lynx workstation are being installed at these locations:
- Harare
- Chiredzi
- Bulawayo
- Victoria Falls
- Kariba
The Meteorological Services Department will use the Baron Lynx systems to view and analyze data from the radars to create timely warnings and accurate forecasts. Data from other elements of the department’s meteorological network can be integrated into Lynx to be viewed simultaneously with radar data.
