Kolkata: Climate change is not only leading to extreme weather conditions more frequently but has also affected the speed at which cyclones move over land, IMD officials said on Friday.
"We are observing that climate change is affecting the pace of cyclones, slowing its speed down after it hits land. This, in turn, is increasing the cyclone's impact. We are gearing up to meet challenges in weather predictions triggered by climate change," said Mrutyunjaya Mohapatra, IMD director general.
Met officials cited how cyclone Dana had taken close to 30 hours to cross Paradip, Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar. They said that while prediction of cyclones has become more precise and its genesis prediction can now be done while it is still in the stage of a low-pressure system in the sea, climate change is posing a challenge in its speed, especially when after it makes landfall.
"Accuracy in weather prediction has increased by around 40% in the past one decade. But climate change poses some challenges and it is increasing the frequency of localised extreme weather conditions," said Mohapatra in Kolkata during the celebration of 150 years of IMD.
Among the few upgrades that Bengal will get are two doppler radars and automatic weather stations (AWS) in every 4-5kms in Kolkata along with an automatic rain gauge system (ARGS). These will help predict localised weather conditions. The two doppler radars will be installed in Malda and Diamond Harbour. The lone doppler radar in Kolkata was installed in 2003. While it covers a 400km range, its precision is better within 250km range.
"These radars are very precise in predicting specifics like the cloud, its type, height, intensity and location, which in turn is very helpful in weather prediction like nowcast, giving precise prediction like rain. The one to be installed in Malda should cover the grey areas of north Bengal while the Diamond Harbour one should cover parts of south Bengal," said GC Debnath, former IMD deputy director general of meteorology, who is now advisor to the disaster management department. The two additional radars are expected to be installed by 2025-end.