Mangaluru gets Karnataka's first C-band Doppler Weather Radar for 300 km weather tracking

Mangaluru: Karnataka has received its first-ever advanced Doppler weather radar system. The state-of-the-art “C-band Doppler Weather Radar” has been installed at the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) centre in Shaktinagar, Mangaluru.

The radar is expected to become operational during the upcoming monsoon season. It will play a key role in delivering accurate and timely weather forecasts.

Part of ‘Mission Mausam’

As part of the Central Government’s “Mission Mausam” project, around Rs 2,000 crore is being spent on upgrading meteorological equipment across the country. Of this, about Rs 10 crore has been used to set up the Doppler radar in Mangaluru.

The radar will detect thunderstorms, hailstorms, intense rain, floods, wind patterns, and sea-level changes. It operates on radio frequency and tracks cloud movement and moisture content using signal reflections.

250–300 km coverage radius

The radar has a circular coverage area of 250 to 300 km. It will cover the entire coastal belt along with parts of south and central Karnataka, up to Kozhikode in Kerala, and a portion of the Arabian Sea.

The radar will help detect weather changes every three hours. Based on its readings, alerts and early warnings will be issued for farmers and the public. It will especially help during the monsoon to predict heavy rainfall, flooding in coastal and Ghat regions, and rough sea conditions.

Boost to aviation services

The radar will support air traffic operations at Mangaluru airport, as well as aid nearby airports in Shivamogga and Kannur. It will provide data on wind movements at various altitudes.

Fifth Doppler radar on West Coast

With this installation, Mangaluru becomes the fifth location on the west coast to have a weather radar, after Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Goa and Mumbai. A similar radar is also planned in Bengaluru. In north Karnataka, a smaller X-band radar with 100 km range will be set up in Dharwad.

Multi-source forecasting

The IMD relies on three primary sources for forecasting: Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), satellite data, and radar inputs. Satellites provide top-level images, NWP gives cloud movement analysis, and the new Doppler radar will offer precise ground-level data.

“The radar installation is complete, and equipment testing is underway. Hyderabad-based Astra AMPL has carried out the installation. The radar’s data will be sent to the IMD’s New Delhi centre and then shared with the public through the Bengaluru office.” — Sajeev R., Scientist-D, IMD Mangaluru

 

Translated version of Kannada article by Bharath Shettigar