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Thunderstorm tracker trialled in Qld

A storm-tracking system that predicts what areas will be hit by wild weather up to 30 minutes in advance is being piloted in southeast Queensland.

The online tracker shows the predicted routes of storms, allowing people to jump on the Queensland Bureau of Meteorology website to see whether they’ll be impacted.

The bureau is the first in Australia to trial the system and says it will be used with weather radars.

Senior forecaster Pradeep Singh says the tracker won’t replace severe thunderstorm warnings, but will help people plan activities around wild weather.

“Such as when to leave for work,” he told AAP.

“I think it’s of big benefit to school children who are often playing out in the yard or swimming.”

Based on weather radar data, the tracker looks for areas of intense rainfall, identifies areas of potential thunderstorm activity and uses arrows to show its expected position in 10, 20 and 30 minutes’ time.

The tracker is being trialled in southeast Queensland because it has a good radar system and high storm activity in the summer.

If the trial is successful, the tracker will be rolled out in other parts of the state.

It’s anticipated all capital cities and surrounding areas will be using the system by November next year.

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