China to expand weather monitoring, target 85% disaster detection by 2030

(ECNS) - China plans to expand its weather monitoring system over the next five years, aiming to increase disaster detection coverage to 85% by 2030, officials said Tuesday.

Cheng Lei, director-general of planning and finance at the China Meteorological Administration, said the plan focuses on building a more precise and integrated observation network, including better coordination of industry weather stations and denser monitoring coverage.

"We will let meteorological satellites and weather radar better support high-quality development," Cheng told a press briefing.

China will expand the use of satellites and radar to improve tracking of extreme weather. It plans to launch the world's first geostationary microwave atmospheric sounding satellite, which is expected to improve all-weather, high-frequency observation of the atmosphere.

The satellite network will be further optimized to maintain stable monitoring across multiple orbital tracks and launch an additional Fengyun-4 satellite to expand services, including for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Radar coverage at an altitude of 1 kilometer is expected to increase from 54% to 65% by 2030, with a focus on areas prone to heavy rainfall and severe weather.

Authorities also plan to apply artificial intelligence to improve detection and forecasting of events such as tornadoes and hail.

(By Zhang Jiahao)