Automated weather station to install countrywide for better weather prediction

Three hundred automated weather stations will be installed across the country, including Karachi, for better weather prediction

Automated weather station to install countrywide for better weather prediction

Three hundred automated weather station (AWS) will be installed across the country, including Karachi, for better weather prediction for at least 10 days, said Pakistan Meteorological Department Karachi Chief Meteorologist Sardar Sarfaraz. The World Bank-funded project will be completed in almost three years, he said.

The AWS will record temperature, speed and direction of wind, humidity ratio, height of clouds, visibility and other meteorological conditions, Sarfraz told The Express Tribune. Already five AWS are working in Karachi, including one at the Jinnah International Terminal.

The World Bank will provide a soft loan PMD through the government of Pakistan for the Hydro Met and Climate Services Project to install 300 AWS across the country.

According to Sarfaraz, 55 AWS will be installed in Sindh, including Karachi. Currently, there are only 17 AWS in Sindh, while many districts have no instrument for weather forecast.

Sarfraz said this project will improve weather forecast and give more accurate prognosis. Under the scheme, every tehsil will have an AWS. Solar-powered weather stations will work in far-flung areas, transmitting data online without human interaction, he said.

Under the project, lands of the agriculture department of Sindh and irrigation will be obtained. In other provinces, AWS will be installed on the government land.

Automated weather station is a very economical option for Pakistan compared with the radars and satellites which require long-term, huge investment. It includes weather observations of every field to provide information on current crop growing conditions. Weather monitoring offers a set of measurement options to provide useful information about soil and crop conditions, some of which are: air and soil temperature, and relative humidity.

Automated weather stations measure all the important surface weather observations. They also offer accurate forecasting options. These stations are better than traditional ones because they provide accurate and frequent readings, have low power requirements, and can operate practically anywhere.

Originally published at The Express Tribune