New INUMET weather radars
A Czech company will provide technology that will enable advances in the “early detection of adverse phenomena.”
For the first time in Uruguayan history, meteorological radars will be installed, the Uruguayan Institute of Meteorology (Inumet) reported. The devices will be located in the towns of Ismael Cortinas (Flores) and Pirarajá (Lavalleja) with the aim of “improving the monitoring network and advancing the precision of meteorological forecasts and surveillance,” the agency said.
The radars will allow Uruguay to advance in the “early detection of adverse meteorological phenomena, enabling a better response to emergencies and more efficient and effective risk management.”
Monitoring will also be carried out at Inumet’s headquarters, while the radars will operate continuously 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This way, they will be able to provide “information available at all times for analysis and forecasting,” according to the agency.
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Inumet reported that networks of this type of radar are an essential tool in the meteorological services of all countries in the world. Thus, it explains that achieving coverage using this type of remote sensing allows progress in the early detection of these phenomena, which in turn enables a better response to emergencies and more efficient and effective risk management.
Following the creation of a trust fund in conjunction with the National Emergency System and the National Development Corporation, it was decided on September 4 that the company Meteopress Spol. SRO (Czech Republic) would be responsible for the training and maintenance of two meteorological radars with a 4.1 m antenna and a maximum power of 10 kW.
The company will also train Inumet staff in the use of radars and in the interpretation of meteorological data.
