How Wimbledon spends millions on high-tech kit to predict the weather but most important tool is incredibly basic item
WIMBLEDON has millions of pounds of weather radar kit — but its most valued tool is a £5 water tray guarded by a duck called John QuackEnroe.
Top meteorologists monitor rain clouds approaching from an hour away to know exactly when to call off play and cover courts.
The radar tech is so accurate they can predict which parts of the grounds will be caught by showers to the nearest 100m.
Yet the team’s most useful device is a tub filled with water on top of an on-site building.
Perched on the side is a rubber duck in a pirate hat — named after three-times champion John McEnroe. A webcam streams a video of the tub to Wimbledon’s weather team so they can see if rain is falling on the surface.
Paul Abeille, from Météo-France sports radar, explained they can also see how big the droplets are from the livestream. He added: “The radar is worth maybe billions of euros and the bucket is maybe £5 with a rubber duck. It’s just a bucket and they look at it and they go, it’s definitely raining.
“It’s a mix between high tech and low tech from the radar, but the bucket is very important. We set up this high resolution radar a few kilometres from here and this radar can provide an image with 100m resolution with a measure every minute.
“Generally the radar would be used for a 250km range but we use it for 60km.” On one day in Wimbledon’s first week, the rain lasted four minutes and the radar meant courts could be covered in under two minutes — saving precious playing time.
The Met Office’s Abby Smith said that thunder showers are expected today and for the finals at the weekend.