Inside look at new Bureau of Meteorology offices in Adelaide after 38 years at Kent Town
THE state’s weather forecasters need more than high tech devices to accurately predict upcoming conditions — a room with a view helps. Here’s why ...
- Bureau of Meteorology makes final move to city site
- New developments impact on weather observation accuracy
WITH a view over the parklands and the western suburbs, the Bureau of Meteorology’s new offices at the corner of King William St and South Tce in the city give staff a bird’s eye view of the weather.
“The views are important to the forecasting team,” supervising meteorologist Paul Lainio says.
“They’re located in the southwest corner so they can see the weather approaching Adelaide.
“Normally fronts come from the southwest and you can see clouds towards the airport.”
Fog was visible over the hills and rain towards the airport during a visit by the Eastern Courier Messenger to the bureau’s new office.
The bureau’s last 38 years have been spent in Kent Town, in an office specially built for what was needed in 1977 but with views only of other buildings on College Rd.
Mr Lainio says times have moved on.
“There’s a twinge of sadness from all of us, but it’s exciting to move into the new office,” Mr Lainio says.
The new offices, in the former Optus building, have about half the footprint of the Kent Town digs, but acting regional director Russell Stringer says their open plan will bring its own benefits.
“The basic philosophy of an office has changed over the decades,” Mr Stringer says.
“An open plan office is good for collaboration and then there’s the meeting rooms when you need to have a discussion.”
The automation of weather stations, including the one at Kent Town, has also meant a reduction in staff, but people are still needed to analyse the results the computers spit out.
They do not know that it might rain more in the hills, or that there could be frost in lower areas on a cold morning.
“The value they (forecasters) add to the computer model is local knowledge,” he says.
The Kent Town station will operate for at least another two years while a new location is developed in the city’s western parklands, back where it was for its first 100 years.
The owner of the Kent Town building is hoping to sell it for $4.5m.