Australians who have been missing some of the familiar features of the old Bureau of Meteorology rain radar will notice a few welcome changes, with a major new website update now live.
The Bureau has rolled out new radar locations, quick links, clickable radar icons and range rings, while also improving how rainfall appears on its weather maps.
The changes went live on September 16th and were developed in response to community feedback about the radar experience, bringing several elements of the new system closer to the familiar old radar view.
One of the biggest additions is the return of radar range rings, which give users a visual guide to how far rainfall is from a radar site and surrounding locations.
Users can now turn on radar sites within the weather map, select an individual radar and see distance rings around it, making it easier to gauge how far approaching rain may be from their area.
Finding a local radar has also become simpler.
New radar quick links and clickable radar icons allow users to jump directly to individual radar views, while the website will remember the most recently selected radar when they return.
Each radar now also has its own unique URL, meaning regular users can bookmark their preferred radar or share a direct link rather than navigating back through the national weather map each time.
There are changes behind the scenes too, with improvements to the way rainfall data is processed and displayed.
The Bureau says very light to moderate rain should now appear with greater definition and detail, while rainfall in areas covered by multiple overlapping radars should also be displayed more accurately.
Bureau of Meteorology CEO Dr Stuart Minchin said, “We know how much value the community places on their local rain radar, so we’ve listened to feedback and made these updates to help you get to your local radar faster and estimate how far away rain is.
“There are more updates planned for later this year, including some changes to Australian places with dual names. We encourage the community to continue to share their website feedback, and we will respond with enhancements and adjustments.”
The latest changes follow several rounds of updates throughout 2026. In June, the Bureau made it quicker to access Doppler wind and estimated rainfall images and added hundreds more place names to its maps.
Further improvements are still planned this year, including more weather map refinements, additional roads and Aboriginal language place names, along with a new seven-day tropical cyclone forecast feature.
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