Jamaica commissions modern Doppler weather radar

Jamaica strengthened its disaster preparedness and climate resilience efforts on Wednesday with the official commissioning of the country's S-Band Doppler Weather Radar in Cooper's Hill, St Andrew.

The radar played an instrumental role in tracking Hurricane Melissa, providing critical real-time weather data to support timely updates on the storm's development and movement.

Procured in 2020 at approximately US$2.45 million under the World Bank-supported Improving Climate Data and Information Management Project (ICDIMP), the radar uses dual-polarisation technology to improve rainfall estimation and severe weather monitoring.

Its S-Band technology is particularly suited to Jamaica's tropical climate, allowing it to monitor weather systems during periods of intense rainfall.

Comprehensive repairs were completed in September 2026 following technical challenges that affected its operation.

The ceremony highlighted the importance of combining advanced weather-monitoring technology with the documentation of national experiences to improve future disaster preparedness.

The event also featured the launch of a commemorative book documenting Hurricane Melissa.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness underscored the importance of investing in scientific and technological capacity to protect lives, safeguard national infrastructure and strengthen public financial management.

“Disaster preparedness requires investment in the technology and scientific capacity to anticipate risks and make informed decisions. These investments are essential to protecting lives, safeguarding national infrastructure, and strengthening public investment planning. By using climate data to better predict risks, we are building Jamaica's capacity to withstand future events and recover more effectively,” Holness said.

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda officially launched the commemorative book, which documents Jamaica's experience before, during and after Hurricane Melissa.

Samuda highlighted the practical value of scientific information in supporting emergency response and national decision-making.

“These knowledge products are not simply an academic exercise; they support critical decisions across our economy and emergency response systems. From determining when roads should be closed to guiding agricultural interventions and deploying emergency resources, reliable scientific information is an economic imperative and a matter of life and death. Our early warning systems save lives every day,” the minister said.

He also pointed to the Jamaica Systemic Risk Assessment Toolkit (JSRAT) and planned supercomputing capacity as important investments in forecasting, infrastructure risk assessment and long-term resilience.

Through photographs, meteorological evidence and personal accounts, the publication chronicles Hurricane Melissa's approach, Jamaica's preparations, the storm's landfall and its aftermath, preserving lessons to inform future disaster preparedness and recovery.

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