Kozhikode: Despite common climatic differences and natural errors in northern Kerala, there is currently no possibility of installing weather tracking radar. Although there is a budget of millions of dollars from the Urban Weather Forecasting Program of the Union government for installation of radars, no progress has been made due to area constraints. If a suitable location cannot be identified, the radar would possibly be moved to Mangaluru.
While the India Meteorological Department (IMD) radar station in Kochi is still operational, North Kerala has a Doppler weather radar formula for detecting climate diversifications in the region.
In accordance with the guidelines of the Union government, the meteorological centre must designate a location for the radar. Dr Neetha K Gopal, director of the IMD Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, said efforts are underway to identify a location. However, the Kozhikode Meteorological Observation Centre has not yet located a suitable site.
Currently, the giant S-band radar, installed at Thoppumpady in Kochi, has a diversity of 400 kilometers. The radar proposed for Kozhikode is expected to have a diversity of 150 kilometers and operate at frequencies between 8 and 12 gigahertz.
The installation will require a solid multi-story construction. The central government will pay the monthly rent for a personal building if it is used.
Currently, weather monitoring in Kozhikode district is done by manual observations and automatic weather stations.
Importance of radar
Continuous monitoring of climate changes in a wide domain will be facilitated, adding the detection of heavy rain, wind direction, cyclones and lightning. Currently, rainfall measurements are limited to quick measurements using rain gauges. The radar will allow it to be as it should be. measure rainfall across the domain, improve understanding of weather conditions and provide fishermen with timely warnings.