9 On the evening of the 15th, the Xi'an Olympic Sports Center Stadium was brightly lit and the atmosphere was enthusiastic as the 14th National Games of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the 14th National Games) officially opened.

But did you know? Behind this national sporting event, three X-band dual-polarization active phased array weather radars independently developed by Naruida Radar have been silently operating, 24/7 monitoring the changing weather, using advanced local weather remote sensing equipment to provide accurate meteorological support services for the smooth progress of the opening ceremony of the 14th National Games.

Smart Meteorological Services for the 14th National Games

As early as March this year, Naruida Radar signed a cooperation agreement with the Xi'an Meteorological Bureau, with government and enterprises working together to provide accurate meteorological support services for the 14th National Games. At the end of June, three X-band dual-polarization active phased array radars were deployed in Huyi, Gaoling, and Baqiao districts of Xi'an. The three radars formed a network, constructing a collaborative, refined weather observation network covering the urban area of Xi'an and all venues of the Games in Xi'an, including the Olympic Sports Center. This is also the first phased array weather radar network in Shaanxi with ultra-high spatiotemporal resolution and the ability to provide short-term accurate meteorological forecasts and warnings.

This type of radar uses a combination of dual-polarization and phased array technologies, with ultra-high spatiotemporal resolution detection capabilities. It can achieve a detection capability of 60 km within 60 seconds, with vertical elevation angle scanning to 60° and no less than 68 layers. Compared with traditional equipment, this new type of dual-polarization phased array weather radar with high spatiotemporal resolution has increased the vertical spatial coverage by 3 times, the time resolution by 6 times, and the spatial resolution by 64 times. It can achieve more accurate weather system identification and classification, high-precision wind field inversion, and a longer lead time for severe weather warnings. The deployment and operation of these three X-band dual-polarization active phased array weather radars prepared in advance for smart meteorological services for the 14th National Games.

Strategic Planning, Through Several Storms

9 On the morning of the 15th, the moment to test the strength of the Shaanxi meteorological monitoring network arrived. According to the large-scale weather monitoring situation fed back by the long-range operational radar, a band of precipitation clouds was passing over Lanzhou, moving towards Xi'an at a speed of 30-40 kilometers per hour.

The emergency support center of the meteorological station for the 14th National Games and the Paralympic Games was closely monitoring the development and changes of the cloud cluster, because they knew what these weather monitoring data meant for the opening ceremony of the 14th National Games to be held that evening. Although nervous, all meteorological detection work proceeded in an orderly manner.

Through this "magic weapon" of phased array radar, the emergency support center of the meteorological station for the 14th National Games accurately detected and judged that from 12:00 to 14:00 on the 15th, the first weather system affecting the Xi'an area passed south of the Olympic Sports Center without affecting the venue. There would be another cloud cluster passing by at 3 pm, but the impact would be minimal. In fact, only a few drops of rain fell sporadically, which did not affect the evening opening ceremony.

The Opening Ceremony Concludes Successfully, Just 10 Minutes Before Heavy Rain

15 At 8 pm on the 15th, the opening ceremony of the 14th National Games officially began. At this moment, every member of the emergency support center of the meteorological station for the 14th National Games had their heartstrings stretched to the limit. Because the dual-polarization phased array weather radar had detected that the Xi'an Olympic Sports Center Stadium area would experience heavy rain after 9:50 pm. This was an expected heavy rain. Although everyone was nervous, they were still confident, because this was not a problem for the Xi'an comprehensive meteorological monitoring network, which has a monitoring timeliness of minutes. Through radar monitoring, this heavy rain would "unfortunately miss" the opening ceremony.

The tense moments passed second by second. At 9:35 pm, the opening ceremony of the 14th National Games came to a successful conclusion amidst the enthusiastic atmosphere created by the theme song "Crossing." At 9:45 pm, as the athletes and event staff exited in an orderly manner, the hearts of the team at the emergency support center of the meteorological station for the 14th National Games finally settled down. At 9:56 pm, a torrential downpour arrived as expected, once again verifying the ultra-high spatiotemporal resolution and intelligent monitoring capabilities demonstrated by the dual-polarization phased array weather radar. (Source: China Meteorological News)