Mission Mausam: Revolutionizing India's Weather Prediction Capabilities

Mission Mausam aims to enhance weather prediction accuracy in India by expanding observation networks and developing advanced forecasting technologies. The project, led by the Union Earth Sciences Ministry, will be executed in two phases over five years and include the installation of new Doppler radars, wind profilers, and satellites.

The Union Earth Sciences Ministry announced that 'Mission Mausam' is set to significantly advance weather prediction capabilities in India, potentially improving accuracy by five to 10 per cent. During a press conference, Secretary M Ravichandran detailed that this five-year initiative will be rolled out in two phases.

The first phase, extending until March 2026, will focus on expanding the current observation network with the addition of 70 Doppler radars and 10 wind profilers. The Union Cabinet has sanctioned Rs 2,000 crore for this initial phase, which also includes setting up a 'cloud chamber' at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune.

The second phase will align with the 16th Finance Commission's timeline and will emphasize adding satellites and aircraft to further enhance observational capacities. Institutions like the India Meteorological Department and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting aim to improve weather and climate prediction accuracy by upgrading the horizontal resolution of Numerical Weather Prediction models from 12 km to 6 km and conducting comprehensive physical process studies within clouds.

(With inputs from agencies.)