Weather radar at the LF Wade International Airport has been out of service since February but should return by mid-August.

However, the absence of Doppler radar poses no risk to the Island, as the Bermuda Weather Service has access to abundant forecasting resources.

The assurance came from Aaron Adderley, general manager of the airport, as the Atlantic hurricane season is due to start on June 1.

According to a spokeswoman for the Department of Civil Aviation, the Doppler weather radar — which provides a moving graphic of rain and storms — is “a specialised and complex radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance.

“The current Doppler weather radar was purchased and installed in July 2004. The radar replaced a smaller and much lower powered system, and was primarily intended to enhance the provision of weather forecasting in Bermuda.

“The radar experienced an outage earlier this year and extensive troubleshooting has been necessary in order to identify what the issue was and what parts were required to restore the system to service.”

Parts have been ordered, and their vendor will assist with installation once they arrive, the spokeswoman said. The replacements will extend the system’s working life for years.

Mr Adderley added: “While the radar enhances the way we are able to forecast weather — primarily our ability to more accurately assess thunderstorms, squalls, and hurricanes as well as their timing, their duration and their location — the Bermuda Weather Service is still able to forecast these weather phenomena accurately using the other tools and information readily available such as satellite imagery, radiosonde information, and weather model data; it is very effective indeed.

“In addition, during hurricane season Bermuda is ably supported by the US National Hurricane Centre.”