New radar for Meteorological Department

BANGALORE: In an effort to improve and enhance weather mapping system, Meteorological Centre is installing Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) in Hesaraghatta, the first-of-its-kind in the state. The state-of-the-art DWR’s antenna once installed, through the electromagnetic waves transmitted and reflected will  record round-the-clock details and provide constant information about the weather.“The DWRs are more advanced than the conventional radar. It will pick up more accurate information about the turbulence and wind speed of the atmosphere within nearly 400-km radius. In addition, the radar would be helpful in getting accurate information about the thickness of clouds, its vertical extent, water content and the quantitative precipitation,” said B Puttanna, director, Meteorological Centre, Bangalore.Meanwhile, the DWR are being installed mainly to detect cyclones.However, similar kind of DWRs have already been installed along the East and West Coast, where the cyclone forming are more common around Bay of Bengal, he added.Puttanna said, “The DWR will be a boon for farmers, who will not have to look at the sky for rains and clouds. In addition, even the aviation sector can make use of the information.”The DWR building at Hesarghatta will be 40 mts in height, spread across an area of 20 acres.The compund has already been constructed, he said. The foundation stone for the building will be laid on January 19 by Dr Ajit Tyagi, director general of Meteorology, India Meteorological Department, New Delhi.