Venezuela will set up the first of eight meteorological radars by the end of June, the initial step to enable the Environment Ministry to collect data on precipitation and weather throughout the country The pilot radar will be installed in Colonia Tovar, a mountain village 30 km from Caracas. The others will be set up in the northeast and northwest of the country, along the southwestern border with Colombia, in the southern state of Amazonas, and in another southern watershed, says program director Tirso Carballo.

Venezuela sees dramatic shifts between dry season (November to April) and rainy season (May to October). This month heavy rainfall caused mudslides, which killed at least 17 people in the Andes region in southwestern Venezuela.