Why in the News
Ministry of Earth Sciences launched two advanced weather forecast products, aimed at delivering hyper-local, impact-based and AI-driven weather services across the country.
More on the News
- Two products launched include,
- AI-enabled "Forecast of Monsoon Advance over Different Parts of the Country" and
- "High Spatial Resolution Rainfall Forecast for Uttar Pradesh" as a pilot service.
- The systems are jointly developed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Pune, and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting.
About the AI-enabled Forecast of Monsoon Advance over Different Parts of the Country
- It is the first-ever AI-driven monsoon advance forecasting system developed by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and others.
- It provides probabilistic forecasts of monsoon progression every Wednesday up to 4 weeks in advance.
- Agricultural Support:
- Designed to support farmers across 16 States and more than 3,000 sub-districts through the dissemination framework of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare.
- It combines AI-based forecasting models, extended range prediction systems and statistical techniques for agricultural planning and preparedness.
About High Spatial Resolution Rainfall Forecast for Uttar Pradesh
- It is a pilot service providing rainfall forecasts at 1-km spatial resolution up to 10 days in advance.
- It uses AI-driven downscaling techniques and integrates data from Automatic Rain Gauges, Automatic Weather Stations, Doppler Weather Radars, and Satellite-based rainfall datasets.
- It is useful for agriculture, disaster management, urban planning, water resources and renewable energy sectors.
Significance of Hyper local Weather forecasting
- Improved Agriculture Planning: Provides precise soil moisture, temperature and rainfall data for better crop management.
- Monsoon Variability: Helps predict India's tropical and highly unpredictable monsoon systems more accurately.
- Disaster Preparedness and Response: Accurate prediction of rain, cyclones, heatwaves and droughts supports informed disaster management decisions.
- Strengthens Grassroots Governance: Makes rural communities more climate-resilient and better prepared for environmental challenges.
- Urban Planning: Helps monitor air quality, heat distribution and rainfall for better disaster management and prevention.
- Urban Heat Island Effect: Helps forecast higher temperatures in urban areas caused by localized heating.
- Global Climate Resilience: Strengthens India's role in global climate resilience through IMD's support to developing nations under the UN Early Warning for All initiative.
Conclusion
The launch of AI-enabled hyper-local weather forecasting systems marks a major step towards climate-resilient and technology-driven governance by improving agricultural planning, disaster preparedness and public decision-making, while strengthening India's leadership in advanced weather forecasting and global climate resilience.
