China will install the world' s most advanced Doppler Weather Radar System near the flood-prone Dongting Lake in the lower reaches of China's mightiest river, the Yangtze, so that more accurate weather forecasts can be made next year.

The radar system will be connected to 48 meteorological stations and 14 remote control devices, which can cover Hunan Province in central China, said Chang Guogang, deputy director of the provincial meteorological bureau.

Dongting Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, holds a dangerously high water level whenever a major flood hits the Yangtze.

Chang said that the radar's ability to provide early warning for thunder storms, hail and tornadoes, will help save at least 100 million yuan of economic losses annually for the region.

The China Meteorological Administration introduced the technology for developing Doppler Weather Radar from the United States in 1996. The first product was installed in east China's Anhui Province in May this year, which issued reliable weather forecasts before this year's flood season.

More than 100 of the weather radar devices are expected to be installed nationwide this year to create a national weather forecasting network..