Athletes and coaches say they are impressed with the weather services provided by the Qingdao Meteorological Bureau over the five days since the Olympic sailing competition began.

Precise weather information can be obtained at any time.

Data is updated every 10 minutes and released over radio, television, mobile phones and other media in both Chinese and English.

According to Wang Xiaoyun, director-general of Qingdao Meteorological Bureau, the comprehensive forecasting system for the Olympic sailing event has reached the world's top level.

Wang said the system is three-dimensional using satellites, weather radar and the latest sea monitoring and land observational equipment.

The Qingdao Meteorological Bureau now has 143 automated meteorological stations providing data every minute.

Its new-generation radar can scan a radius of 230 km every six minutes, greatly increasing its capability in short-range forecasting, especially in the event of disastrous weather such as typhoons, heavy rains and hail.

The system was tested as it provided hydro-meteorological data for the 2006 and 2007 Qingdao international sailing regattas.

The system is now providing real time and forecast information on wind speed, visibility, tides and wave heights.

More than 70 experts work directly at the Olympic weather service, including those from the National Meteorological Center and bureaus from Shanghai, Beijing, Shandong and Anhui.

The Qingdao Meteorological Bureau is also linked through advanced telecommunication systems with the Olympics meteorological offices in Beijing and Shanghai and other cities.

According to Lin Hang, head of the Qingdao Hydro-Meteorological Service Center for the Olympic sailing competition, high precision has been achieved in calculating wind speed and forecasting complex weather.

(China Daily August 14, 2008)