QCOSTARICA – A modern radar system will enable the National Meteorological Institute (Instituto Meteorológico Nacional – IMN) to alert, about two hours before, what community could be affected by a heavy downpour.
The announcement was made by IMN director Juan Carlos Fallas Sojo, who said the system will be in place by October or November of this year.
He said the device, at a cost of US$600.000 dollars, coming from th National Emergency Commission (Comisión Nacional de Emergencias – CNE), will be installed at the IMN building in barrio Aranjuez, in San José.
Fallas said the weather radar will help in their preventive work, but, for now, will only cover the Central Valley.
The director added that the instrument will also help to track the speed of ash expulsion from volcanoes.
According to Fallas, the rainy season for 2015 will be under the effect of El Niño, which implies a decrease in rainfall.
The national weather forecaster said the rainy season this year is expected to start between April 1 and 5 for the Pacific South, then the Central Pacific from April 26 to 30) and then in the Central Valley between May 6 and 10. Gradually, the rains will spread to the North Pacific May 16 and 20.
