Context: Indigenously developed Polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar at Cherrapunjee dedicated to Nation by Prime Minister of India.

• The DWR has been designed and developed by Radar Development Area, ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network (ISTRAC), ISRO and manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bengaluru.
• The DWR was realised with active support from Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Guwahati of India Meteorological Department (IMD), and North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC), Department of Space, Umiam, Shillong.
• Weather Radar System will enable better weather forecasts, especially for the North Eastern region.
• This should help in minimising the threat posed by extreme weather conditions."

Doppler Weather Radar (DWR)

• The Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) provides advance information, enhancing the lead-time so essential for saving lives and property, in the event of natural disaster associated with severe weather.
• Though the conventional radars are able to track and predict cyclones, the DWR provides detailed information on storm’s internal wind flow and structure.
• The severity of the weather systems can thus be quantitatively estimated more accurately than ever before and more precise advance warnings can be generated for saving human lives and property.
• The polarimetric capability of the Radar will significantly improve the accuracy of rainfall estimation leading to accurate and timely flash flood warnings.
• The DWR, being the first S-band (operating at 2.7 - 2.9 GHz) dual polarimetric Doppler Weather Radar can detect Weather phenomenon upto 500 km.
• This system installed at a place that receives the highest rainfall in Planet Earth, shall open up tremendous research opportunities in the areas of monsoon dynamics, Cloud Physics, impact of orography in precipitation process, precipitation characterisation, thunderstorm and hailstorm genesis and evolution, etc.
• The data from the DWR is also expected to support a host of operational programmers of IMD and NESAC/ISRO.
• The near real time precipitation estimates from the DWR shall improve the Flood Early Warning System (FLEWS), being developed by NESAC for NE states.
• It will also enable IMD and NESAC to take up operational activities on thunderstorm now-casting and hail now-casting for NE states.

https://www.isro.gov.in/indigenously-developed-polarimetric-doppler-weather-radar-cherrapunjee-dedicated-to-nation-honble

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