Responding to media queries about the last two days of extreme weather events across the region, Union Minister In charge Meteorology Department, Dr Jitendra Singh, while addressing a press conference, affirmed that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Mission Mausam”, India’s weather forecasting system is being substantially augmented to be of the global best standards.
The Earth Sciences Minister further noted that Shimla has one of India’s oldest IMD forecasting centres. Dr Jitendra Singh further elaborated that Automated Weather Stations (AWS) and doppler radars are being added across the region to boost real-time weather prediction.
“While cloudbursts are sudden and difficult to forecast due to their nature, our system is improving with targeted forecasts like Long Range (30 days), Short Range (3 days), and Nowcast (3 hours),” he stated.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, our forecast system is so accurate that people in heavy monsoon prone places like Mumbai tend to look at the IMD WhatsApp on their mobile phone before deciding whether to carry an umbrella or not when they move out of their house.
He also informed about dedicated weather forecast apps for farmers and agriculturists. Even when the weather forecast is accurate, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the damage occurring after heavy rainfall or flash floods may sometimes vary depending on the local factors determining the vulnerability of the place or habitat affected.
Our weather forecast inputs are also being availed by neighbouring countries which confirms their reliability, said the Minister.