Unlike the hustle and bustle of Nungambakkam in central Chennai, the office of the Regional Meteorological Center assumes a serene look with a cluster of buildings surrounded by greenery. The complex houses a long-term observation station accredited by the World Meteorological Organization, which has observed the weather for over 100 years.
The earliest instrument-based astronomical observations can be traced back to Egmore in 1786, in erstwhile Madras. Madras was established by the British as their first scientific observatory in the country. The Office of the Indian Meteorological Department still preserves a laminated sheet of paper containing the oldest records of the latitude and longitude of Masulipatnam in 1786 and 1787.
Remnants of the campus’ old glory are found in the walking distance behind the office. The 15-foot granite pillar bears testimony to the establishment of the first astronomical observatory in the country by the East India Company. It was upgraded and shifted to the 10-acre complex, which was then a ‘Garden House’, in 1792.
It was this pillar weighing 10 tonnes, erected by the then Governor of Madras, Charles Oakley, and four other structures, with astronomical instruments such as altitude, transit wheel and azimuth. The Madras Observatory was established by the British to ‘promote the knowledge of astronomy, geography and navigation’ in India.
The pillar has inscriptions in Tamil, Telugu and Urdu about astronomical measurements and the name of its architect Michael Topping. While the astronomical observatory and instruments were shifted to Kodaikanal in 1899, the monuments remain to tell tales of old glory.
When the Indian Meteorological Department was decentralized, then RMC, Chennai was established. It was initially functioning in a small room and then shifted to a new building in June 1960, records a booklet brought by the department.
Senior Meteorologist Y.EA Raj mentioned that SR Savur took over as the first Deputy Director General of Meteorology. There were also copies of his communication via Telegram about his arrival.
The Nungambakkam observatory was closed in 1943 after World War II and was reportedly used as a hut for soldiers.
“It was asked to work in a rented building on Mobrace Road or TTK Road. But there is no clarity. The RMC shifted to the Nungambakkam campus in 1948. There was also a drawing of a building that apparently served as an office in a publication during the 19th century,” he said. By 1943, the Meenambakkam meteorological observatory was established.
RMC, Chennai has expanded its horizons and provided meteorological and allied services not only to Tamil Nadu but also to all Southern States and Union Territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
Chennai Deputy Director General of Meteorology S. Balachandran said, “We have rainfall and other weather data from 1860, with some gaps during world wars and natural disasters. We are doing both manual and digital observations in several places, including Madurai and Tiruchi.”
Pointing to the ECG-like graph in which the change in wind direction was recorded during Cyclone Varda, Mr. Balachandran said that the manual observatories at Nungambakkam and Meenambakkam have ECG-type recorders of wind speed, pressure and direction. ; Self-recording rain gauge and mercury thermometer. Data is collected from both types of observatories for weather forecasting.
RMC maintains an optimal network of automated weather stations and rain gauges, seismic and upper wind observatories. This still leaves pilot balloons with radiosonde instruments to measure weather conditions in different levels of the atmosphere.
Incidentally, India’s first Doppler weather radar was installed at Rajaji Salai in Chennai in 2002 for cyclone tracking and continuous weather monitoring. It replaced the S-band analog radar which had been in operation since 1972. “We have moved from analog radar which was once used to track thunderstorms in airports, now Pallikaranai has the latest technology of X-band radar,” said Mr. Balachandran.
He recalled being engaged in preparing weather charts during 1992 by drawing and plotting data such as temperature change, wind speed and pressure for weather analysis and forecasting. Now, computers plot the data and even superimpose them on satellite data through a synergy forecast. Arrangement RMC has numerical weather forecasting models and provides five types of forecasts in different time and space scales, including Nowcast (within three hours), Short, Extended and Seasonal.
With higher incidence of intense rainfall and increased demand for various regional services, RMC continues to evolve and expand with services such as urban meteorology, location-specific- and impact-based forecasting to suit the needs of changing climates and times. Used to be.