Wayanad to get localized weather forecasting

The Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology and the Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) have collectively arrange a localized weather forecasting system for Wayanad district, a serious landslide susceptible space within the State.

“While the conventional forecasting systems focus mostly on district wise rainfall, which has limitation in providing regional variation in forecasting, this new model predict rainfall in 25 sq km gridded platform, showing local variation in rainfall”, stated S. Abhilash, Meteorologist of CUSAT.

“Everyday forecasting resulted in 70% to 80% accuracy in the spatial distributi,on as well as the intensity of rainfall. But we have to experiment at least three years to understand the limitations in the modeling system and to further improve the accuracy. The promising results of one year simulation is encouraging and appreciated by various stakeholders and there is also scope for customization of the forecast products for various stakeholders” Dr. Abhilash, stated.

Western Ghats mountain ranges within the south western facet of the hill district typically appeal to big clouds throughout monsoon and obtain heavy orographic rainfall. While the western facet receives 4,000 to 5,000 mm rainfall yearly, the jap facet, which is a rain shadow area, receives just one,500 mm rainfall.

Though the district was exhibiting a declining pattern in annual rainfall through the decade ending 2017, all of a sudden an upsurge of maximum rainfall skilled in 2018 and 2019 leading to a collection of landslide and floods in Wayanad, due to local weather change.

Extreme rainfall starting from 300 to 800 mm in twenty 4 hours length has been recorded over the last three years, a lot of that depth resulted in main landslides, he added.

‘One of the main goal of this initiative is to present day to day details about rainfall in numerous area of Wayanad by a localized prediction system in addition to large unfold rainfall assortment system in a citizen science mode’, C.K. Vishnudas, director, Hume, stated.

The district has divided in 107 grids of 25 sq km for the aim and a rain gauge and thermometer has been put in in every of the grids besides forest areas. Currently rainfall information is being collected from 93 places of Wayanad and this pooled right into a centralized system for synthesis, Mr. Vishnudas stated . This system supported to present localized warning to individuals residing in mountains slopes about attainable landslide when rainfall exceeds the brink throughout monsoon, he stated.

Hume Centre has already mapped all of the landslide susceptible areas of the district with a Panchayath clever landslide susceptibility map. So the brand new software of rainfall mapping will improve districts capability to fight disasters in future, he added. The info generated from the system is pooled to the district catastrophe administration authority for higher determination making, he added.