Fog ahead? Met office messages on your mobile soon

Dr Ajit Tyagi,Director General of Meteorology,IMD,New Delhi,who was in Chandigarh on Thursday,shed light on some of the initiatives to be taken up by the Met department.

“At present,we give a general forecast that may not be of interest to everyone,” he said. The stress is now on area-specific real-time weather information. “We will tie up with mobile companies to provide information about weather conditions like fog at a specific point. The facility will soon be available for the residents of Delhi.”

Those travelling to Vaishno Devi or on the route from Jammu to Srinagar will also be able to get point-specific information. In case rain or a hailstorm is expected,information will be available a few hours in advance. Special forecasts for Delhi-Amritsar National Highway are already being posted on the department’s website.

Another proposal is to provide forecasts tailored for sectors like agriculture,horticulture,irrigation,tourism,transport and power sector.

Tyagi said in the field of power generation,the Met department will have a vital role to play. “Predictions about the weather conditions three to five days in advance will enable the power sector to ascertain how much power is needed,” he said. Accordingly,additional power can be arranged for or the excess amount sold to other states.

Rains,cold may stay
As mercury dropped seven degrees below normal on Thursday,Delhiites unpacked their woollens with haste. The day remained cloudy with a maximum temperature of 22.4 degrees Celsius — the lowest this month. The evening was chillier after a drizzle. The low plummeted to 15.6 degrees Celsius. The met department expects more rains. The next two days are to be cloudy,with temperatures around 23 degrees Celsius.