New Delhi, Delhi-NCR will get three more Doppler radars in the next two to three years, along with a flood warning model, additional automatic weather stations and rain gauges to improve weather forecasts, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Monday. .
According to Mohapatra, the rains that brought Delhi to its knees last week were not the result of a downpour, but "a close call".
"(Predicting) this kind of very limited activity, both in spatial and temporal terms, is a challenge not only in India but also around the world. Prediction becomes easier when you have a large-scale synoptic system," Mohapatra said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has undertaken a project to increase its observation and forecasting capacity in Delhi-NCR, similar to what it did in Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. It is also working on a flood warning system for the national capital, he said.
"Within two or three years, three radars of different radius will be installed in the region, in addition to the three existing ones," he stated.
The three functional radars are located at Palam, Ayanagar and Mausam Bhavan.
Mohapatra said the Safdarjung Observatory, the city's main meteorological station, recorded 91 mm of rain between 5 am and 6 am on June 28. Similarly, the Lodhi Road weather station recorded 64 mm between 5 am and 6 am and 89 mm between 6 am and 6 am. 7 am.
"These do not justify being declared as thundershowers, but they were very close to a thunderstorm," Mohapatra said.
According to the IMD, more than 100 mm of rain in an hour in an area of 20 to 30 sq km is called cloudburst.
"The prolonged heat wave in northwest India has increased the moisture-holding capacity of the atmosphere, thereby increasing the probability of heavy rainfall in Delhi," he added.
Explaining the reason behind the extreme weather event, the IMD had earlier said that multiple large-scale monsoon weather systems created conditions for mesoscale convective activity over Delhi-NCR, resulting in intense thunderstorms and heavy rainfall during the early hours. on June 28.
This activity was supported by the thermodynamic instability of the atmosphere, which favors the appearance of thunderstorms.
The Safdarjung Observatory recorded 228.1 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 a.m. Friday, more than three times the average June rainfall of 74.1 mm and the highest for the month in 88 years. , since 1936.
The IMD defines very heavy rainfall as rainfall ranging between 124.5 and 244.4 mm per day.
According to Mohapatra, the rains that brought Delhi to its knees last week were not the result of a downpour, but "a close call".
"(Predicting) this kind of very limited activity, both in spatial and temporal terms, is a challenge not only in India but also around the world. Prediction becomes easier when you have a large-scale synoptic system," Mohapatra said.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has undertaken a project to increase its observation and forecasting capacity in Delhi-NCR, similar to what it did in Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. It is also working on a flood warning system for the national capital, he said.
"Within two or three years, three radars of different radius will be installed in the region, in addition to the three existing ones," he stated.
The three functional radars are located at Palam, Ayanagar and Mausam Bhavan.
Mohapatra said the Safdarjung Observatory, the city's main meteorological station, recorded 91 mm of rain between 5 am and 6 am on June 28. Similarly, the Lodhi Road weather station recorded 64 mm between 5 am and 6 am and 89 mm between 6 am and 6 am. 7 am.
"These do not justify being declared as thundershowers, but they were very close to a thunderstorm," Mohapatra said.
According to the IMD, more than 100 mm of rain in an hour in an area of 20 to 30 sq km is called cloudburst.
"The prolonged heat wave in northwest India has increased the moisture-holding capacity of the atmosphere, thereby increasing the probability of heavy rainfall in Delhi," he added.
Explaining the reason behind the extreme weather event, the IMD had earlier said that multiple large-scale monsoon weather systems created conditions for mesoscale convective activity over Delhi-NCR, resulting in intense thunderstorms and heavy rainfall during the early hours. on June 28.
This activity was supported by the thermodynamic instability of the atmosphere, which favors the appearance of thunderstorms.
The Safdarjung Observatory recorded 228.1 mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 a.m. Friday, more than three times the average June rainfall of 74.1 mm and the highest for the month in 88 years. , since 1936.
The IMD defines very heavy rainfall as rainfall ranging between 124.5 and 244.4 mm per day.
