New Mangaluru radar to power hyper-local weather alerts in Kerala
With the harrowing memory of last year's devastating Mundakkai–Chooralamala landslide in Wayanad still fresh in the minds of the people of Kerala, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stepped up its efforts to enhance weather prediction accuracy.
A newly commissioned radar in Mangaluru is expected to significantly bolster localised weather forecasting for the region.
IMD Regional Director Neetha K. Gopal said on Tuesday (May 13) that under the existing 'Nowcast' system, which delivers real-time weather updates, the department would now issue hyper-local alerts. This marks a shift from the current system, which provides weather information on a district-wide basis.
'With the new radar analysis, we will be able to provide a more localised weather warning system against the present practice of providing district-wise alerts,' Ms. Gopal said. The districts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, and Wayanad will be covered by the new radar.
'When we are able to provide localised weather information, an alert need not be issued for the entire district, but only for the area that is going to be affected,' she said.
The IMD staff are now being trained to provide this data accurately, and alerts will be issued both in English and Malayalam to the public, avoiding a delay in translation, Ms. Gopal added.
The south-west monsoon has already reached Andamans, its first entry point, and it is expected to hit the Kerala coast on May 27.
The Monsoon onset this year is earlier than normal. The south-west monsoon usually travels from Andamans to the Kerala coast in 10 days, and the director said that this year also the progression would happen during the same time period, and that no disruptions were expected.
'We do not see any chances for formation of cyclonic storms or low pressure en route as these are the factors that usually disrupt the smooth progression of the monsoon,' she added.
The cloud movement direction has already changed from east to west to west to east, bringing in pre-monsoon showers in various parts of Kerala. The westerly winds are expected to bring in more rains, increasing the soil saturation levels in Kerala.
The IMD has predicted an above-normal monsoon across India this year. This, coupled with an increased soil saturation rate, is a possible recipe for natural disasters like landslides, officials said.
Kerala has witnessed extreme weather events in recent history, and the localised weather warning would help the State authorities to prepare themselves better, they added.
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