With the incorporation of a **new weather radar in Alejandro Roca**, a town located in the south of the province of Córdoba, the **[National Meteorological Service (SMN)](https://www.smn.gob.ar/)** takes another step towards consolidating a network of **federal, accurate, and real-time surveillance**.
Installed at the local karting track, the radar has a **range of 250 kilometers**, allowing it to cover not only southern Córdoba but also bordering areas of **Santa Fe, San Luis, and La Pampa**, including strategic cities like **Río Cuarto, Villa María, Laboulaye, and Marcos Juárez**.
This is a region with **high population density**, strong **agro-industrial activity**, and **vulnerability to extreme weather events**, such as **intense storms and rains** that can overflow riverbeds in a matter of hours.
## SINARAME: a national network to anticipate extreme weather
The installation is part of the **National Meteorological Radar System (SINARAME)**, a strategic project promoted by the **Subsecretariat of Water Resources of the Ministry of Economy of the Nation** and coordinated by the SMN.
Its objective is clear: **to expand and modernize meteorological observation infrastructure** to have **reliable and timely data**, crucial to **anticipate phenomena that put communities at risk**.
The project was carried out by the national government as part of the **”Expansion of the National Meteorological Radar System Coverage – SINARAME Stage III”** plan, which aims to **reduce shadow areas**, **improve the spatial resolution of data**, and **shorten response times in critical situations**.
Córdoba adds a new weather radar
## RMA 17: a key piece in a growing network
With the addition of **RMA 17**, Argentina now has **18 operational weather radars** distributed in different regions of the country.
All of them are **interconnected**, and their data is processed at the **SMN Operations Center**, where the products that feed the **forecasts and alerts** received by millions of people daily are generated.
But the growth continues. **Stage III of SINARAME** plans to install **five new radars** in strategic points of the national territory:
– Santa Rosa (**Mendoza**)
– Santa Isabel (**La Pampa**)
– Tostado (**Santa Fe**)
– Ituzaingó (**Corrientes**)
– Las Lajitas (**Salta**)
Each of these devices will help strengthen coverage, reduce information gaps, and improve response capacity to **severe weather events**.
## Technology in service of prevention: protecting lives and productive activities
Beyond technological advancement, the expansion of SINARAME represents a **strategic investment in prevention**. Radars allow:
– Detecting storm development
– Estimating precipitation intensity
– Anticipating conditions of hail, wind gusts, or electrical activity
These tools are **essential to protect lives, property, and productive activities**, especially in regions with high climate exposure.
*Cover photo: UnCiencia*
