Pilgrims visiting Sabarimala to get nowcast from Nov. 15

After the launch of the special daily weather forecast for Sabarimala ahead of the two-month-long annual Mandala Makaravilakku, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is all set to start issuing nowcast, weather forecasts for every three hours, for the pilgrims. The pilgrims visiting the hill shrine can make use of the daily forecast and nowcast issued by the IMD during the northeast monsoon season.

Among the 14 districts in Kerala, Pathanamthitta, the district where the hill shrine is situated, receives the highest amount of rainfall (629 mm) during the season, while the long-period average of the State is 492 mm of rain. Last year, the district netted a total of 1220.2 mm of rainfall, around 94% higher than the average rainfall.

Speaking to The HinduNeetha K. Gopal, IMD Director, Thiruvananthapuram, said the IMD began the daily forecast for Sabarimala, taking a cue from the pilgrim weather forecast issued during the annual Char Dham yatra, Ganga Sagar Mela, Amarnath yatra, etc.

“Now, the agency has decided to issue forecasts for pilgrims every three hours starting from Saturday (November 15). We have already installed two manual rain gauges at the Sannidhanam and Pamba, and another would be installed at Nilakkal by Thursday for validating the forecast. Further, hygrometers to measure humidity and thermometers would be installed on the shrine premises soon to provide weather services to pilgrims. The staff provided by the Pathanamthitta administration will be recording the readings of instruments in every three hours,” she said, adding that the automatic weather station (AWS) at Seethathodu, which is the nearest AWS to Sabarimala, has also been calibrated ahead of the season.

Based on the feedback from this annual pilgrim season, the IMD will take a call on continuing the services in every pilgrimage season, she added. The State had been demanding a micro-level forecast for the Ghats regions against the backdrop of a rise in extreme rainfall events and natural calamities.

For issuing a micro-level forecast, the IMD requires observational data from the regions concerned and past measurements as well as verification of the forecast. At present, the IMD has no manual weather observatories in the hill districts of Kerala to obtain cloud patterns.