Modern weather station installed in Karachi ahead of monsoon season

KARACHI: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday activated an Automatic Weather Station (AWS) in Karachi to monitor the rainfall system, ARY News reported.

According to details, the modern weather station was installed in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Centre (JICC).

The Automatic Weather Station (AWS)  was installed at the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s (PMD) observatory near the Old Terminal in Pehalwan Goth locality.

The PMD department also shared a link to radar imagery on its website.

The modern doppler weather radar is capable of forecasting rainfall in a radius of about 450kms and strong winds in a radius of about 200kms.

The new radar was built at a cost of around Rs1.58 billion. The new weather system will provide timely reports of cyclones and other tropical storms in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal regions.

Met department Director Sardar Sarfraz said that the AWS would also be installed in Badin, Mithi, Thatta, Jacobabad and other rural districts of Sindh and Punjab.

Monsoon season begins in Pakistan on July 1st and lasts till Sept 30. Pakistan typically receives 140.8 millimetres of rainfall from July to September.

With above average rainfall expected this monsoon there could be threats of urban flooding in cities.