A coalition of Bay Area water agencies has unveiled a high-tech, $19.7 million radar system designed to pinpoint the “atmospheric river” storms that frequently soak Northern California.
The Bay Area News Group reports the network features six new stations stretching from Sonoma to Santa Cruz, filling critical gaps in National Weather Service coverage by tracking weather below 5,000 feet.
Experts say this new “AQPI” system provides a much more granular picture of intense rainfall, offering updates every two minutes rather than every seven. This allows local emergency officials to predict flooding and landslides with far greater accuracy hours before they happen.
The final station in Marin County is expected to go live in the coming days, just in time to help water managers better navigate the unpredictable swings between extreme drought and heavy flooding. Funding for the project was provided by the State Department of Water Resources to help maximize water storage while mitigating disaster risks.
