The President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, today presided over the inauguration ceremony of the new meteorological radar of the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), located in São Miguel. This investment, totaling around five million euros, in creating two radars, one on the island of São Miguel and the other on the island of Flores, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), completes the meteorological coverage of the entire national territory.

José Manuel Bolieiro stressed that the new radars represent “the most sophisticated in Europe and the world”.

According to the Government president, the region now has three weather radars, which provide “more reliable” information and help the Azores be “increasingly preventive” in responding to adverse weather phenomena.

“This is a moment when we move from words to action, realizing a long-standing ambition of the Region, in partnership with the IPMA. This is an essential step for the safety of the population and for Atlantic surveillance, strengthening our ability to forecast and mitigate risks,” said José Manuel Bolieiro.

The new radar systems are of the C-Band Doppler type, with dual polarization technology, and will be complemented by two weather stations and two electrical discharge detectors located at the airports of São Miguel and Flores. The equipment will improve meteorological surveillance in the Atlantic, which is essential for maritime and air navigation and short-term forecasting, or ‘nowcasting,’ for up to three hours.

On the same occasion, a protocol was signed between the Government of the Azores and IPMA to create the Atlantic Climate Observatory (OCA), which will be installed in the region. This project, valued at around two million euros, is co-financed by the Government of the Azores and aims to collect atmospheric data fundamental to the study of climate change in the Atlantic, including the monitoring of greenhouse gases.

The leader of the Azorean executive called the protocol’s signing “a historic moment, not only for the Azores but for Portugal and the transatlantic relationship between Europe and America” and stressed that the initiative is “a reference that looks more to the future than to the past.”

The ceremony, held at the Palácio de Sant’Ana in Ponta Delgada, was attended by several personalities, including the Secretary of State for the Sea, Lídia Bulcão, the President of IPMA, José Guerreiro, and the Regional Director of IPMA in the Azores, Carlos Ramalho.

With this double breakthrough—the radar network reinforcement and the creation of the Climate Observatory—the Azores are consolidating their strategic role in meteorological and climate monitoring, becoming a crucial ‘pivot’ in the Atlantic.

From Press Release

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance) at California State University, Fresno, PBBI thanks Luso Financial for sponsoring NOVIDADES.