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Informist, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026

 

--Earth sciences secy:Plan frequent weather forecast for power, other sectors 

--CONTEXT: Earth Sciences Secy Ravichandran at IMD's 151st anniversary 

--Earth sciences secy: Need to properly communicate about weather forecasts 

--Earth sciences secy: To enter Mission Mausam phase 2 from April 

 

NEW DELHI – The government will roll out the second phase of Mission Mausam from April to enhance India's weather forecasts and climate services to stay relevant amid rapid climate change, Earth Sciences Secretary M. Ravichandran said. Under phase II, the government plans to focus on filling gaps in observations "not only from the ground base but also in the upper air observations" by using more aircraft-based observations and other methods.  

 

"I think we have done enough, but I think it is not (going to be) enough in the coming years because the weather is changing rapidly," Ravichandran said at the 151st foundation day of the India Meteorological Department Thursday. "So we need to augment more and more (observations) in our system to improve the weather forecast in coming years."

 

He also laid stress upon the need to expand weather monitoring beyond land to ocean, coastal, and polar regions. In 2024, the government had allocated INR 20 billion over two years for Mission Mausam to boost the country's weather and climate-related science, research, and services. 

 

On data assimilation, the secretary said the department needs to integrate data from conventional observations with radial wind data, GPS-based observations, and satellite inputs, among others. This will improve the short-term weather updates given to users such as in the power sector. "They need frequent forecasts, so we need to augment," he said. Accurate weather forecasts are crucial for sectors such as agriculture, aviation, power, defence, mining, tourism, and health.

 

In the next phase, the meteorological department will expand ensemble forecasts using various physics-based and artificial intelligence models to broaden and improve accuracy. The department also aims to focus on subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasts, with better representation of factors influencing global weather such as the Madden-Julian oscillation and inter-annual variability.

 

Apart from technological upgrades, the secretary said the department needs operational overhauls, particularly in communication and forecast verification. "It is not only information passing, we need to communicate well so that people can understand our language better," he said.

 

In addition, the government plans to install around 200 automatic weather stations across Delhi, Pune, Chennai, and Mumbai to improve short-term weather forecasts, including of heavy rainfall, Minister of State for Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh said. India's weather radar network has expanded from 15 in 2014 to 47 currently, covering almost 87% of the country. There has also been a rise in doppler weather radars and other monitoring network systems, he said.

 

Highlighting the department's progress over the years, Singh said: "Our cyclone track (forecast) has gone up by 35% to almost 40%. Our monthly and seasonal forecast errors have reduced from 7.5% to 2.5%."

 

Having survived many tropical cyclones, India has built resilience in tackling the extreme weather event and has been helping its neighbours do the same. India provides disaster-related information to Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Mauritius, among others, to reduce the loss of life and property due to extreme weather events, the minister said.

 

According to the weather agency, the accuracy of Indian forecasts of all severe weather events, including cold waves, has improved 40% in recent years. For thunderstorms and lightning, the forecast accuracy improved 53% over 2021-25, compared to 2016-20. During the 2025 southwest monsoon, accuracy of one-day-ahead heavy rainfall warnings improved 85%, against 77% in 2020, while five-day-ahead heavy rainfall forecasts improved 9%.  End 

 

Reported by Afra Abubacker

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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