Himachal to have doppler radars, snow gazers for better forecast: IMD

The Indian Meteorological Department will set up three doppler radars, a number of snow gazers and automatic weather stations in Himachal Pradesh for better weather, avalanche and landslide forecast, an IMD official said.

These radars will be set up at Kufri in Shimla district, Dalhousie in Chamba district and Kullu, IMD Additional Director General Devendra Pradhan said.

The forecast made by these radars, snow gazers and automatic weather stations (AWS) will be helpful for the administration to make prior arrangements to minimise the loss due to heavy rains, avalanche and landslide, the official said.

At least 19 persons were killed and property worth around Rs 1,000 crores was destroyed during heavy rains on August 13.

Pradhan told PTI that the first radar would be set up at Kufri in Shimla district by the end of next year.

Subsequently, the other two doppler radars will be set up at potato farm at Dalhousie and near Bijli Mahadev temple in Kullu, he added.

Heavy rains, thunderstorm and hailstorm in the state will be forecast in a better way with the installation of these radars as the observation will be strengthened within a radius of 100 km of each radar, the official added.

The radars will measure the direction and speed of objects such as drops of precipitation, this doppler effect will be used to determine whether movement in the atmosphere is horizontally towards or away from the radar, which will be helpful in weather forecast, he added.

Pradhan said that several snow gazers and AWS would also be set up at a number of places in the state.

Locations for their installations are being finalised, he said, adding that the exact numbers of snow gazers and AWS was not decided yet.

It will be decided after finalising the locations for their installations, the ADG added.

The snow gazers will be helpful in predicting probable avalanches and landslides, whereas AWS will be beneficial in predicting weather in a better way.

AWS will record measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, wind, details of weather conditions and transmit them automatically to a central base, he added.