With weather predictions in Jammu and Kashmir proving to be a dicey task, the Indian meteorological department has given its nod to commissioning of three hi-tech Doppler radars to improve weather forecasting in the Himalayan state.
The local meteorological department is presently equipped with only one Doppler radar, making the task of accurate weather forecasting little difficult in the state having different weather patterns in its three regions—Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir.
The lone radar is installed in the meteorological office in Srinagar.
A Doppler radar is a tool to provide precise information about thunderstorms, dust storms, hailstorms, rainfall and wind patterns.
With a radius of around 250-kms, it helps in issuing forecasts 2 to 3 hours prior to severe weather events.
A conventional radar detects the presence of dense objects (such as precipitation) in the field, while the Doppler system detects a phase shift between the outgoing and incoming signals, according to experts.
“A Doppler radar can improve weather forecasting in Jammu and Kashmir considerably as the state is susceptible to weather vagaries due to its geographical positioning in the Himalayas,” an expert said.
Director meteorological department Srinagar Sonam Lotus told Greater Kashmir that tenders for the new hi-tech Doppler radars will be issued in the next fiscal beginning April.
“The IMD has already sanctioned three Doppler radars which will be installed in Srinagar, Jammu and Leh,” he said, adding that the commissioning of the new equipment would further improve weather forecasting in the state.
The IMD is planning to add 30 Doppler radars in next two to three years in Indian cities.
The plan is also to have 14 radars in the northeast region, including the existing three radars.
The hilly states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir witness erratic weather patterns, thunderstorms and heavy rains and snowfall, and so do the northeastern states.
In 2013, a cloudburst that led to flashfloods killed hundreds of people in Uttarakhand.
The first Doppler radar was installed in Chennai in 2002. Its need became more compelling after the 2005 Mumbai floods.