Met Éireann is to overhaul the Irish weather radar network in a bid to improve the quality and reliability of the service.
Met Éireann maintains to o weather radars at Dublin and Shannon airports. These were installed in 1991 and 1996 respectively and upgraded in 2010.
They provide data on precipitation within a 240km radius. Once the work is complete, it is hoped the State’s weather radar requirements will be met up to 2040.
A contract, with an estimated value of €350,000, to undertake a 40-month scoping exercise for the upgrade is up for tender.
Met Éireann envisages increasing the number of radars from two to five.