The Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation has told Jamaicans that they should continue to be in a state of preparedness for the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season, which regional and international meteorological officials predict will be an above-normal season.
It said while it had been aiming to bring newly acquired radar into full operation in time for the season, there are, however, some recent developments with the equipment that meant that the commissioning will not be possible for this season.
“Jamaicans should, however, be assured that the absence of a radar does not impair the ability to conduct forecasts for the island and would not affect our capacity to monitor tropical cyclone activity in the Caribbean or wider Atlantic region during the Hurricane Season.”
The ministry said the Meteorological Service will continue to provide its full suite of services in collaboration with its international partners and the opportunity is being taken to clarify the matter of the status of the replacement of the obsolete radar system.
It said under the Improving Climate Data and Information Management Project being implemented by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), funds were provided through a wider World Bank-aided program to replace the obsolete radar system installed in 1999.
The ministry said since December 2020, there has been progress but in March, a mechanical defect involving the antenna assembly was detected by technical experts.
“The manufacturers in the United States were immediately notified and subsequently made arrangements to do a physical assessment, which was carried out in Jamaica on March 16, 2022.”
The ministry said a situation report and the necessary corrective action plan have been made available indicating that the problem will be corrected within the next six months.
“This will include the replacement of the defective antenna. All costs associated with the correction of the defect are being covered under the existing three-year warranty and there is no financial cost to Jamaica.
“This will, unfortunately, further delay the plans for commissioning the radar, which is expected to enhance the Meteorological Service’s ability to monitor rainfall activity over and within proximity to Jamaica for the purpose of reporting on existing occurrences and making short-term forecasts of within a few hours of detection.”
CMC/
