Designing a Network of Weather Radars for the Central American Region

As an initiative for reducing the vulnerability of the Central American region from disasters of hydro meteorological nature, the Regional Comity for Hydraulic Resources (in Spanish the CRRH, an specialized agency of the Central American Integration System, in Spanish the SICA) has developed a project for a Central American Radar Network (CARN). This paper describes the technical characteristics of such a network; characteristics that can be also valid for similar radar networks located in the tropics.

The technical requirements desired for each radar in the network are stated, and these are based on the microphysical characteristics of the local precipitation. It is also presented a preliminary configuration of the CARN coverage, including the criteria considered for the election of each site. Some operational aspects of the CARN, such as data transmission and distribution, are discussed as well.