New state-of-the-art weather radar has been inaugurated in the Algarve
A new weather radar was inaugurated in Loulé on Wednesday (January 10), promising to provide “much more reliable weather forecasts” for the region.
Located inside an eight-storey tower in Cavalos, Ameixal, overlooking the Serra do Caldeirão mountain range, the new radar is expected to significantly improve the region’s weather forecasting ability.
The new facility was officially unveiled in a ceremony attended by the Secretary of State for the Sea, José Maria Costa, as well as regional leaders such as the President of the Regional Development and Coordination Commission (CCDR Algarve), José Apolinário, and the Mayor of Loulé, Vítor Aleixo.
It will be managed by IPMA – Portugal’s Sea and Atmosphere Institute – which will now be able to provide “much more reliable data, with more than double the quality, resolution, and speed of information than the institute could provide until now,” a statement released by Loulé Municipal Council explains.
The new dual-polarisation radar is described as a “new technology” that enables a “clearer understanding of the type of humidity in the atmosphere and the probability of snow, hail, or other extreme phenomena.”
CCDR Algarve went even further into detail about the new benefits of this new type of radar.
“With these radars, it is now possible to monitor the intensity and movement of precipitation systems, such as heavy rains. This provides greater ability to predict coastal floods, detect changes in atmospheric pressure, and other extreme conditions that may indicate the formation of tsunamis. This expanded alert capability benefits coastal communities and vessels at sea, helping to mitigate material and environmental risks and better safeguarding people and property,” the regional entity said.
These radars can also help predict more accurately the likelyhood of wildfires, helping prevent them or tackle them as early as possible.
Another radar using the same technology was also inaugurated on the same day in the Alentejo borough of Coruche, bringing the total amount invested in the two radars to €2.8 million via Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (shortened in Portuguese to PRR). Three towers using these new radars already existed in the northern borough of Arouca and in Porto Santo (Madeira) and Terceira (Azores). IPMA has also invested “several tens of thousands of euros” in new meteorological stations across the country.
Telmo Carvalho, a member of the IPMA board of directors, was overjoyed with the inauguration of the two new radars, which boast an impressive range of 300kms.
“We have entered the Premier League of atmospheric monitoring in Europe. We were on our way, and now we’re there,” he exclaimed.
The agricultural and forestry sectors are also expected to benefit from this new equipment and the “supercomputer” installed at the IPMA headquarters, which receives data from these radars and meteorological stations, allowing for “much faster processing of information and at a much more specific level.”
michael.bruxo@portugalresident.com
