The MeT office installed the first doppler weather radar (DWR) at Kufri for more precise area-specific weather forecasts and warnings for a particular place.

• The range of this radar is up to 100 km (radial distance) and it will observe and provide the weather data of 100 km in all directions, which will be used for forecasting purposes, especially for the short-range forecast (nowcasting).
• The radar has been installed on test mode for a period of two weeks, and thereafter its data will be used for forecasting purposes.
• Two more radars would be installed in Mandi and Dalhousie in Chamba District.
• The site for the radar at Mandi had already been finalised and its NOC from the state government was awaited.

About Doppler Radar

• A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. It does this by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target and analysing how the object's motion has altered the frequency of the returned signal.
• Conventional radar provides information about the location and intensity of precipitation associated with a storm, while Doppler radar adds the capability to discern air motions within a storm.
• Doppler radar can see not only the precipitation in a thunderstorm (through its ability to reflect microwave energy, or reflectivity), but motion of the precipitation along the radar beam. In other words, it can measure how fast rain or hail is moving toward or away from the radar.