It was a Christmas Day gift – the weather tool we all use to plan our days got fixed
A Christmas miracle?
Maybe Santa wanted to make sure the skies were clear for his approach.
Joking aside, many Bermudians will be very happy to see that the popular Doppler radar is back online after a two-month shutdown.
The radar service, available at weather.bm, was restored on Christmas Day.
The Royal Gazette reports that Airport Authority technicians and engineers from German manufacturer Leonardo had worked over the holiday.
Bermuda Airport Authority CEO Lester Nelson told the RG, “this effort reflects a small part of the continuous, behind-the-scenes work that is necessary to maintain the reliability of this complex system.”
The radar has been unavailable for about a quarter of 2025, having been offline early in the year, then shutting down once again in October, just ahead of Hurricane Melissa.
Bermuda Weather Service Director Philip Rogers drew the ire of residents when, ahead of the storm, he said the radar was, quote, “considered non-essential”…
“We can do the job without it”, he said, “but it does give us more information.”
Commenters on Bermuda Broadcasting’s social media pages were not impressed, citing the radar as being vital to planning events and outings, and reacting to any immediate changes that could put plans and property at risk.
Lester Nelson subsequently said the weather radar “is essential for BAA to achieve optimal performance across all its resources and assets”, but he also said the BWS Director is correct in they have the resources to provide weather forecasts without the radar.
Importantly, Mr Nelson said, the radar is not essential for aircraft operations.
Responding to Bermuda Broadcasting today, Mr Nelson said the weather radar has had three significant technical events affecting performance and availability.
The system underperformed for six months after its initial commissioning in 2019. Following manufacturer repairs, it reached 95% availability through to Q4 2024.
An electrical fault in late 2024 then required manufacturer intervention, and was resolved in early 2025.
Finally, the most recent mechanical failures took the system offline until service returned on Christmas Day.
Mr Nelson says the objective remains to operate the radar at its intended 95% availability.
The BAA has enhanced its maintenance approach alongside the manufacturer – including more frequent site visits from Leonardo’s specialists, and a more structured balance between reactive maintenance and preventative interventions, to reduce disruption of service.
With the weather radar back online, Bermudians are planning their New Year’s Day activities will probably be grateful for a more immediate idea of what the skies are about to bring.
Q&A with Lester Nelson, CEO of Bermuda Airport Authority
Q: The radar had been offline for about a fifth of the time from October 2024 to October 2025. With the recent offline status, had the radar been offline for about a quarter to a third of 2025?
A: From October 2023 to October 2025, the weather radar was offline for approximately 21% of the time, and in 2025 the system was offline for approximately 25% of the time.
For broader context, since the system was commissioned in April 2019, there have been three significant technical events that materially affected the system’s performance and availability:
Initial commissioning period (2019):
Upon commissioning, the system underperformed for approximately six months. This issue was fully addressed by the manufacturer and has not reoccurred. Following remediation, the radar achieved an availability rate of approximately 95% through to Q4 2024.
Electrical fault (late 2024 – early 2025):
An unplanned and acute electrical issue occurred toward the end of 2024 and required manufacturer intervention, with resolution completed in early 2025.
Recent mechanical failures (late 2025):
The most recent outage resulted from a series of unexpected mechanical failures. Following detailed diagnostics and repairs, the system was successfully returned to service on Christmas Day.
Q. Will these recent repairs will ensure consistent service for the year ahead?
A. The recent repairs addressed the specific issues identified during the most recent outage, and we are encouraged by the system’s return to service. Our objective remains to operate the radar at or near its intended 95% availability.
That said, as with any highly specialized and complex technical system operating in a challenging environment, it would not be appropriate to offer absolute guarantees regarding uninterrupted operation. What we can say is that the system is currently operational, closely monitored, and supported by enhanced technical oversight by the manufacturer.
Q. Will there be any changes to the operation or maintenance of the radar following recent repairs?
A. Yes. While routine maintenance has always been carried out in accordance with the manufacturer’s prescribed programme by factory-trained engineers, the nature of the recent failures required more in-depth, manufacturer-led diagnostics and intervention. In response, Bermuda Airport Authority and our Bermuda Weather Service unit, together with the technical teams, have enhanced the current maintenance approach with Leonardo.
Key enhancements include:
∙ More frequent preventive and proactive inspection visits by manufacturer specialists using advanced diagnostic tools.
∙ Continued routine maintenance and reactive response capability by on-island engineering teams.
∙ A more structured balance between reactive maintenance and preventive, forward-looking interventions, aimed at reducing the likelihood and duration of future disruptions.
While it is neither practical nor cost-effective to stock all specialist components on island or maintain a permanent manufacturer presence, this enhanced preventive approach is intended to minimise system interruptions and shorten resolution times should issues arise. Most importantly, BAA and BWS are exploring additional technologies to complement the primary S-Band Doppler weather radar, as we fully appreciate that many Bermudians rely on the weather radar information.
