The Guyana Hydrometeorologi-cal Office is to install 30 more Automated Weather Stations (AWS) to its current stock across the country to supplement and verify radar data.
According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), the Hydromet Office currently has only 14 AWS through which it monitors weather patterns. In addition to the AWS, GINA said that there are seven meteorological observatories/synoptic stations, 60 water level stations and 148 rainfall stations.
Minister of Agriculture, Dr Leslie Ramsammy was reported as saying that the Hydromet Office has also been working to archive water and weather data such as the volume of water in the waterways and the rainfall and sunshine hours.
In addition to the 30 AWS, Ramsammy said that the ministry will be placing 40 transmitting rain gauges in flood- prone areas which will aid in the monitoring and dissemination of information during emergency situations.
In relation to the Doppler Radar, he contended that people were under the impression that it would help with better longer-term forecasts.
“The Doppler does not help us with long-term forecast, the Doppler enables us to tell what conditions exist at the moment at a particular area and it has a limited space that it monitors…,” the Agriculture Minister said.
He said that the most effective use of the Doppler Tower is its ability to engage with other Doppler systems in the region, such as those in Trinidad and Tobago, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.
However, Ramsammy said that in the Caribbean all of the systems do not work at the same time as there is always one or two that are down. The $550M European Union-funded Doppler station here has come under severe criticism for not providing frequent warnings about severe weather. Last month, when a severe storm hit the Corentyne blowing off roofing sheets and knocking down fragile structures, residents complained that they had gotten no warning.
Commissioned since October 2009, the up-to-the minute aspect of the Doppler is yet to be utilized by various stakeholders. Severe weather warnings can give residents valuable time to prepare as in the case of the Corentyne storm last month. In recent years flash flooding fuelled by rain storms have caught residents unawares.
Although the Doppler process is partially available via the HydroMet Services website, the vast majority of the Guyanese populace is not privy to what exactly the Doppler is reading. The website, www.hydromet. gov.gy, itself is complicated to navigate and seemingly requires some knowledge of how to read radar imaging, that is if the site decides to work. Sources say that this can be chalked up to the lack of professionals capable of reading the Doppler imaging correctly and producing a useful forum such as a properly functioning website to relay information in a clear manner.
