Russia's Meteorological Agency Has Not Enough Money for Precise Weather Forecasts

Speaking today at a press conference in Moscow, Alexander Bedritsky, the head of Russia's meteorological agency, said his organisation did not have sufficient funds to come up with more precise weather forecasts. He noted that meteorological surveys had been on the decline for the past 10 years. For once, the number of observation points has decreased. 'We are behind the civilised countries as concerns the contemporary survey technologies', Mr. Bedritsky said. 'Russia has virtually no aeroplanes carrying contemporary meteorological equipment. The number of weather forecast satellites has also decreased. No new meteorological survey technologies are now being developed in our country and we lack contemporary data processing equipment'.