With a new rain gauge, a high-speed data computing platform and an automatic weather station on their way, the Meteorological department in the city is all set to get more hi-tech.

According to Met officials, a new building is under construction in Sector 39 where the department will be shifted. The building will now give the department its own observatory. At present, the measurement of rainfall is taken from the observatory at the Air Force Station.

On the other hand, an automatic weather station and rain gauge are available at the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, but an access to it is not always possible for Met officials. The new observatory will have all these features, which will facilitate the analysis of various kinds of data — wind speed, direction, humidity, temperature, et al.

The Met office in Chandigarh caters to the entire region, covering the three states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. At present, the data from Met offices in the states is collected over the phone. With the new machines in place, the data collection will become automated. Met officials said the technical

section for the purpose would be shifted to the city from Delhi.

Met department director Chhatar Singh says the new equipment would make the analysis of data faster. “An observatory is being set up and the latest equipment is being provided. We are planning to shift the department by March,” he said.

The initial plan for the building had provisions for residential area for the staff too, but it was later shelved.

Commenting on the relatively warmer January this year, Chhatar Singh said the weather would become cooler once it rained. “In 2007, the highest temperature had touched 29.8 degrees Celsius. The temperature has stayed three to four degrees above normal this year, but it cannot be termed as the warmest January of the decade. We are expecting rains by next week. It will bring the temperature down,” he said.