What is Doppler Weather Radar?

A Doppler radar uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance.

What is Doppler Weather Radar?

Why in news?

  • The Union Minister dedicated 4 Doppler Weather Radar Systems to the Western Himalayan States of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. He also dedicated 200 Agro Automated Weather Stations to the Nation. 

How does Radar work?

  • Radars is a beam of energy, called radio waves, emitted from an antenna. As they strike objects in the atmosphere, the energy is scattered in all directions with some of the energy reflected directly back to the radar.

What is Doppler Radar?

  • A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance.
  • These radar systems can provide information regarding the movement of targets as well as their position.
  • Doppler radars help forecasters to observe rainfall, and the advance of cloud formations over a region and subsequently monitor thunderstorms and lightning in real time.

What is Doppler Effect?

  • It was first described (1842) by Austrian physicist Christian Doppler.
  • It is the apparent difference between the frequency at which sound or light waves leave a source and that at which they reach an observer, caused by the relative motion of the observer and the wave source.

 


Q1) What is the SAMAR initiative?

It is an initiative of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) launched in January 2016 to study the concentration of Black carbon, radiative properties of aerosols, environmental visibility and their climatological impacts.

Source: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh says Entire Country will be covered by Doppler Weather Radar Network by 2025 to predict extreme weather events more accurately.

 

Latest UPSC Exam 2025 Updates

Last updated on November, 2025

→ Check out the latest UPSC Syllabus 2026 here.

→ Join Vajiram & Ravi’s Interview Guidance Programme for expert help to crack your final UPSC stage.

UPSC Mains Result 2025 is now out.

UPSC Notification 2026 is scheduled to be released on January 14, 2026.

UPSC Calendar 2026 is released on 15th May, 2025.

→ The UPSC Vacancy 2025 were released 1129, out of which 979 were for UPSC CSE and remaining 150 are for UPSC IFoS.

UPSC Prelims 2026 will be conducted on 24th May, 2026 & UPSC Mains 2026 will be conducted on 21st August 2026.

→ The UPSC Selection Process is of 3 stages-Prelims, Mains and Interview.

UPSC Result 2024 is released with latest UPSC Marksheet 2024. Check Now!

UPSC Prelims Result 2025 is out now for the CSE held on 25 May 2025.

UPSC Toppers List 2024 is released now. Shakti Dubey is UPSC AIR 1 2024 Topper.

UPSC Prelims Question Paper 2025 and Unofficial Prelims Answer Key 2025  are available now.

UPSC Mains Question Paper 2025 is out for Essay, GS 1, 2, 3 & GS 4.

UPSC Mains Indian Language Question Paper 2025 is now out.

UPSC Mains Optional Question Paper 2025 is now out.

→ Also check Best IAS Coaching in Delhi

Vajiram Content Team
Vajiram Content Team
UPSC GS Course 2026
UPSC GS Course 2026
₹1,75,000
Enroll Now
GS Foundation Course 2 Yrs
GS Foundation Course 2 Yrs
₹2,45,000
Enroll Now
UPSC Mentorship Program
UPSC Mentorship Program
₹65000
Enroll Now
UPSC Sureshot Mains Test Series
UPSC Sureshot Mains Test Series
₹25000
Enroll Now
Prelims Powerup Test Series
Prelims Powerup Test Series
₹13000
Enroll Now
Enquire Now