Jersey hosts European weather conference

A conference is being held in Jersey to discuss developments in weather technology.

The Jersey Meteorological Department said they will be looking at new radar technology that will improve weather forecasts.

Thirty-two delegates from 16 countries will be in Jersey for the event on Wednesday and Thursday.

It is a conference by the Operational European Group for Radar (OPERA) who encourage sharing weather data.

The OPERA group meets twice a year in venues across Europe and works to investigate new technology and provide a forum for exchanging information.

Tony Pallot, principal meteorological officer at Jersey Meteorological Department, said: "Much work is currently being undertaken to explore the potential for new radar technologies which will, for instance, feed models for wind data and the early identification of differing types of precipitation.

"This kind of information will help us continue to improve flight safety by identifying potential hazards, such as significant turbulence and thunderstorms."

Mr Pallot said Jersey Meteorological Department works closely with the UK and exchanges data with Meteo-France to predict the weather over northern France.

He said Jersey benefits from the working relationships which have developed from being a participating member of the OPERA group.