7. WEATHER FORECASTING :

Forecasting reports are issued in the following ranges :

7.1 Nowcasting (less than 6 hours)

Based on surface and upper-air charts, satellite images from METEOSAT 7,5 ; GOES ; GMS ; NOAA 12 ; 14, FY2

and skew-T diagrams   .  Airline  companies are among major users that usually received data via telex , telephone

or data links.

7.2 Short-range forecasts (24 - 72 Hours)

This forecast bulletin is issued by using analyzed charts (GRIB) received from ECMWF and KWBC EGRR, EDZW

via MDD.

The users are Mass media, Governmental bodies , Airlines, Regional forecasting centers and Bulletins publishers.

The users receive their required data via telex , telephone, facsimile , VSAT ,  X.25 , e-mail & high speed data link .

7.3 Medium-range forecast ( 72 - 168 Hours)

Mostly issued for warning purposes to avoid damage to people, irrigation & agricultural systems, caused by severe

weather and flood . The data   is distributed via facsimile, telephone , local radio , TV and data   link .

7.4 Seasonal forecast (3 - 4 months)

It is issued for water resources , irrigation, agriculture and husbandry management .

7.5 Storm warnings of expected dangerous weather and sea conditions.

Methods of distribution are : telex , telephone , Radio and TV, facsimile, VSAT, X.25 and e-mail.

7.6 Forecasting or reporting the hazardous weather phenomena for aviation purposes to Airline companies.

  The daily hours of forecast issues which are included in news bulletins are :

- 0700 LT to radio

- 0900 LT to newspapers

- 1000 LT to radio

- 1900 LT to radio/TV & Newspapers

- 2300 LT to radio

7.7 DATA - PROCESSING CAPABILITIES :

IRIMO¢ s first data processing system in 1972 was an IBM 1130 system with 8K memory and a Printer model

1131.1, a card reader model 1442 and 11 Punch units model 129, the systems main activity was the storage of

meteorological, climatological , and rain gauge data.

In 1981 the system was changed to an  IBM system 3 with 64 K memory.  Since 1991 a  new system   with  the

following specification is being used :

- System IBM 4381 - P02

- Capacity 16MB ( 24*BIT )

- Speed 2.5 MIPS

- A Network with 62 PCs ( 386, 486, 586 )

- 16 Disk Storage IBM 3350

- Database with 18 millions of data records

IRIMO¢ s data processing department has three offices :

a) Maintenance and systems development office which has the duty to :

- Providing software programmes to decode Synop and temp reports , to publish daily, weekly ,

monthly and annual bulletins and rainfall data analysis, to compute climatic standard normals

including 150 basic meteorological variables , to process raingage and climatological data, to plot

maps for publishing , to give Providing Public Weather Services (PWS) such as Homepage ,BBS,

Weather Display,Weather Monitor.

b) Quality control office :

  Gathering data from meteorological stations and quality control according to WMO standards 

and creating data bank network for Pollution, Ozonegraphy, Automatic stations and so on.

c) Data base and processing office

                            - Preparation of special forms of transfer and reserve in the system

- Preparation of statistical books , publications