Bhubaneswar, April 19: The Doppler radar installed at Gopalpur will start functioning by the end of this month, said Meteorological Centre Director Sarat Chandra Sahu.
The Doppler radar will facilitate accurate weather forecasting system on cyclone-prone east coast of Gopalpur, which bore the brunt of severe cyclonic storm Phailin. “A decision has been taken in department level to commission the radar by April end. Soon after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) gives green signal, the Indian Meteorological Department will commission it. Chief Minister and the Special Relief Commissioner have also written to Centre in this regard,” said Sahu. The radar was indigenously built by ISRO and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL). In November last year, the IMD had also installed a Doppler radar in Paradip, another coastal district in Odisha which was ravaged by a super cyclone in 1999.
Sources said the Doppler radar is an observational tool for monitoring and predicting severe weather events within the radius of 300 kms such as thunder storms, hailstorm, cyclones and tornadoes
