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- Africa has adopted a new weather forecasting system.
- The ‘Now casting’ uses satellites that monitor changes in the atmosphere and conveys the Information to the forecasters’ desks in 15 minutes
To deal with climate-related disasters, Africa has adopted a new weather forecasting system. The system allows meteorologists to track approaching storms in real-time, potentially saving lives from such disasters. According to scientists behind the project at the University of Leeds, the technology is regularly used in developed countries but was not available in most of sub-Saharan Africa. The forecasting systems so far used in Africa lacked accuracy.
The new method, called ‘Nowcasting’ uses satellites that monitor changes in the atmosphere and conveys the Information to the forecasters’ desks in 15 minutes which enables the meteorological Departments to issue information. It allows meteorologists to alert people about climate disasters like storms.
The forecasts now cover all of Africa and are freely available online. The scientists are also working to make this information accessible for the ordinary person. Kenya adopted the new system last year which helped with the evacuation of people affected by landslides and mudslides in Western Kenya and flooding on Lake Victoria, according to Kenya Meteorological department. The UK government has funded similar initiatives for Senegal, Nigeria and Ghana to support teams to interpret the satellite-derived data and issue warnings.
Doug Parker, a professor of meteorology at Leeds and co-lead of the project, remarked that with extreme weather becoming a common phenomenon in Africa, the significance of weather forecasting has become critical much more than for people in northern countries. Climate warming has led to huge losses for African economies dependent on farming and countless deaths due to floods and mudslides.
