India launches high-resolution system for panchayat-level weather forecast
This story was originally published at 15:39 IST on 26 May 2025
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--IMD head: India first to achieve 6-km resolution weather forecast system
--CONTEXT: IMD head Mohapatra at launch of Bharat Forecast System
NEW DELHI - India Monday became the first country to launch a weather forecasting system with 6-km spatial resolution. The high-resolution forecasts will improve local-level weather predictions and disaster preparedness.
With the new Bharat Forecast System, the India Meteorological Department will provide forecasts down to 6 km or the panchayat level, replacing the earlier system that offered predictions only at 12 km or block level. "This means that earlier we gave one forecast for maybe four villages of a 12-km area, now we can give (forecasts) for each village," Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran said.
India Meteorological Department Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the improved resolution would make a substantial difference in forecasting small-scale weather phenomena that were previously harder to capture.
As climate change progresses, the atmosphere is becoming more chaotic, experts at the event said. This leads to phenomena like isolated heavy rainfall events and localised droughts, creating simultaneous challenges of both floods and drought.
Mohapatra said India is the first country in the world to develop and implement a 6-km resolution model for weather forecasting. Beyond disaster management, the Bharat Forecast System is expected to support strategic sectors, including aviation, defence, and maritime operations, by enabling more precise operational planning and policy formulation.
Mohapatra said India's developments in weather forecast systems will also help its neighbours. "It is globally important, but locally relevant," Ravichandran said.
The launch of the Bharat Forecast System is one of the outcomes of Mission Mausam, a national initiative to make India weather-ready and climate-smart. The mission has an outlay of INR 20 billion for over two years. End
Reported by Afra Abubacker
Edited by Rajeev Pai
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