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MET office restores doppler weather radar to operational status

MET Office's doppler weather radar was brought back to operation today.

Ameera Osmanagic
07 October 2024, MVT 18:50
MET Office's doppler weather radar was brought back to operation today -- Photo: Fayaz Moosa | Mihaaru
Ameera Osmanagic
07 October 2024, MVT 18:50

Maldives Meteorological Office (MET Office) has announced that the doppler weather radar based in Hulhumalé has been resorted back to operational status today.

The radar, which locates precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type ahead of time, was decommissioned for two years due to technical issues.

In a statement, MET Office said it has now been repaired and restored to operational status.

According to the Office, the radar is the latest weather technology used in developed countries as well, and that the system's information collection radius spans 250 kilometres around Hulhumalé.

Use of the radar

- Rainfall area and volume of precipitation

- Direction and speed of cloud movement

- Estimate time of when clouds are expected to roll over to a specific area.

- Wind information in different layers.

"This will improve Maldives' capacity to collect weather information, and understand dangerous weather situations," the MET Office statement said.

"The general public also stands to benefit from the radar being back in operation. Especially fishermen and those who travel by sea would get additional information about the weather, and carry on with their work safely," the statement also read.

The MET Office said the radar network is being expanded to include radars in the north and south of the country as well.

Currently there are five MET Office stations in the country. Systems have also been installed in different islands to collect rainfall and wind data.

The Doppler weather radar was installed in Huhumalé back in 2007, and was taken out of operation in 2008 due to technical issues until 2017.

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