Friday, September 21, 2007 City to host weather forecasting center By Carlo P. Mallo
THE Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) chief announced Thursday that Davao City will be the regional forecasting center for the entire Southern Mindanao while Cagayan de Oro City will be for the Northern Mindanao.
Pagasa chief Nathaniel Cruz said Thursday that the Arroyo administration has granted their request to increase the funding for their agency. He, however, did not specify the amount or percentage of the increase.
Cruz added that the increase enabled them to procure a satellite receiving facility.
"We can now receive NOAA satellite images in real time," Cruz said, referring to the real time images that they can acquire through the satellite of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States.
Cruz emphasized that the region of Mindanao, though not generally affected by storms, is still subjected to extreme weather conditions. "The problem is that we have warnings for storms but not other weather conditions," he said.
He believes that this problem would be resolved with the use of the Doppler Radar that will be stationed in the city. He added that by 2010, more than 10 Doppler Radars will be in place all over the country.
A Doppler Radar is a system for measuring speed that is based on the Doppler effect. It is used for measuring the velocity of hurricanes and tornadoes, among other uses.
Doppler information is valuable for weather forecasters especially in severe weather conditions, allowing forecasters to see risks of tornado or strong downdrafts.
