The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has inaugurated a Doppler weather radar (DWR) at Lansdowne in the state of Uttarakhand. The ceremony was attended by Honorable Union Cabinet Minister and Minister of Earth Sciences Shri Kiren Rijiju; Honorable Member of Parliament for Pauri Garhwal and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Shri Tirath Singh Rawat; and Dr Ranjit Kumar Sinha, Secretary of the Department of Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, Government of Uttarakhand.
X-band Doppler weather radar
The X-band radar has an observation range of 150km. It is the third weather radar to be deployed in the state, following the ones in Mukteshwar and Surkanda Devi. It will provide weather services to benefit the people of Uttarakhand, especially in Lansdowne, Pauri Garhwal and its neighboring district of Uttarakhand. In particular, the radar is expected to be beneficial for weather nowcasting services in these regions. This radar will also help forecasters generate nowcasts for severe weather events and help numerical weather prediction (NWP) modeling to improve the model guidance.
Improved forecasts and warnings
Among the main advantages of the DWR are its wind speed measurement abilities and improved warnings during rainfall and thunderstorms, as these are not possible with a conventional weather radar. It will also better estimate, detect and provide warnings for heavy rainfall events. Alongside this, the DWR will provide additional inputs to numerical weather prediction models for generating improved weather forecasts, particularly nowcast (forecast for a few hours). Furthermore, the weather radar can provide the area with specific rainfall and storm warnings, which is beneficial for aviation services, disaster management and emergency response authorities. Overall, the technology is expected to facilitate better forecasts and warnings and thus improve public safety and create socio-economic benefits.
In related news, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched IMD’s Mission Mausam and Vision 2047 document. Click here to read the full story.