Pathanamthitta: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has come up with a system to predict heavy rain and thunderstorm in real time at a regional level.
The new project is led by the Ministry of Earth Sciences along with the cooperation of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting. Around 450 regions in the country are part of the list, including 21 from Kerala.
The regions in Kerala are: Sabarimala, Munnar, Kumarakom, Thekkady, Kovalam, Varkala, Ponmudi, Painavu, Thirssur, Kakkanad, Ernakulam, Kochi, Kottayam, Kumaly, Periyar, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Punalur, Aryankavu, and Thiruvannathapuram.
Details of heavy rain, thunderstorms, gusty winds likely to hit these regions would be conveyed in real time via websites, WhatsApp and SMSes. Information would also be passed along to the district administrators. Satellite predictions made via website during a trial run in April had succeeded. Data from radar, satellite, and lightening sensors are compiled to make the prediction. It is possible to make a prediction as advanced as 48 hours prior to the rain and even one hour before the rain.
