A clearer view of danger

AFTER years of mechanical setbacks and prolonged interruptions that left Jamaica’s weather monitoring capabilities compromised, the country stepped into a new era of weather forecasting with a fully upgraded Doppler radar system, now operational and promising sharper insight into developing storms, heavier rainfall, and other potentially dangerous weather conditions.

At a cost of US$2.45 million, the Defender S850 Doppler Weather Radar was procured in 2020 under the Improving Climate Data and Information Management Project, with funds from the World Bank through the Climate Investment Fund. Located at Cooper’s Hill in St Andrew, it is expected to significantly strengthen the island’s ability to track weather systems, identify the nature and movement of precipitation, and provide meteorologists with more detailed information to improve forecasts and warnings.

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According to Meteorological Service of Jamaica Principal Director Evan Thompson, the system should have initially been commissioned in 2022, following its installation in 2021, but was delayed due to mechanical failure.