Canberra rain radar: old BOM-style loop
Follow recent rain around Canberra with a classic radar loop centred on the city. Switch view widths to compare the ACT with Queanbeyan, the Southern Tablelands and the Brindabella Ranges. Canberra 7-day forecast.
Distance rings are measured from your selected location. Transparent areas may be dry or outside coverage. Colours are not a calibrated rainfall measurement.
Using the Canberra radar view
Summer storms around Canberra often develop over the ranges to the west and south before moving across the city. A wider view shows the Brindabellas and the tablelands, where that development begins.
The rings measure distance from Civic. The Bureau’s Captains Flat loop, south-east of the city, is linked below.
Compare successive frames to see how echoes have moved. Playback shows what has already happened. The Next 4 hours panel under the map carries that movement forward as an estimate, then hands over to the forecast model.
Radars covering Canberra
Canberra is covered by one Bureau radar. The closest is Canberra (Captains Flat), 54 km away. The loops listed for each radar are the official ranges that include the city centre; a radar's 64 km loop only helps if you are within 64 km of the radar itself.
| Radar | Where it is | Official loops that include Canberra | Site and what it sees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canberra (Captains Flat) (IDR40) | 54 km south-east of Canberra | 64 km · 128 km · 256 km · 512 km | Captains Flat (Mt Cowangerong), south-east of Canberra WSR 74 S Band Doppler On Mt Cowangerong near Captains Flat, at about 1,380 m: the main radar for the ACT, with a very good view in all directions. False echoes sometimes appear offshore between Batemans Bay and Moruya, and wind farms can show as fixed echoes. |
Sites, types and siting notes paraphrased from the Bureau of Meteorology's radar information page; distances are from the Canberra city centre.
Official BOM radar loops for Canberra
The Bureau of Meteorology still publishes its classic radar loops on reg.bom.gov.au. These are the official station loops covering Canberra, at each range the Bureau offers:
- Canberra (Captains Flat) (IDR40): 64 km · 128 km · 256 km · 512 km · Atmosphr page
See every Bureau radar loop by state.
Looking for the old BOM radar?
Atmosphr offers a classic-style alternative with automatic playback and simple controls. It is independent of the Bureau of Meteorology. The image is a historical composite supplied through RainViewer, not a direct station-specific BOM product.
More near Canberra
Read the radar guide for help with timestamps, coverage and playback.