IMD’s doppler weather radar network covers 92% of India

New Delhi: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, informed the Rajya Sabha that India’s Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) network currently covers nearly 92% of the country’s geographical area, significantly strengthening real-time weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities.

The Minister said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) operates a network of 48 DWRs across the country. However, some gaps remain in coverage over coastal, hilly, and island regions.

To enhance radar monitoring in the Himalayan belt, The Minister informed that IMD has installed 10 Doppler Weather Radars in the Western Himalayan region. These are operational in real time at Leh, Banihal Top, Jammu, Srinagar, Lansdowne, Mukteshwar, Surkanda Devi, Jot, Murari Devi and Kufri.

In the Eastern Himalayan region, radars are currently operational at Mohanbari, Cherrapunji, Agartala and Jorhat, improving weather surveillance in the northeast, he added.

In coastal states, a robust radar network has also been established. Along the west coast, 11 radars are functioning at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Mangalore, Mumbai, Veravali, Mumbai (Juhu), Mumbai (Panvel), Mumbai (Kalyan), Mumbai (Vasai), Goa and Bhuj.

On the east coast, eight radars are operational at Chennai, Gopalpur, Paradip, Karaikal, NIOT Chennai, Machilipatnam, Visakhapatnam and Sriharikota (ISRO).

These installations play a crucial role in tracking cyclones, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and other extreme weather events, especially in vulnerable coastal region.

Addressing concerns about project timelines, Dr. Singh said there have been no major delays in the installation of radars. However, in a few cases, minor delays occurred due to the non-availability of technically suitable space and related infrastructure.

The Minister clarified that there is currently no proposal to integrate data from private or academic radar networks into the IMD system.

To further enhance weather coverage, the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) is coordinating with State Governments under the “Weather Information Network and Data System” (WINDS).

The initiative aims to establish a nationwide network of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) at the block/tehsil level and Automatic Rain Gauges (ARG) at the Gram Panchayat level.

The move is expected to ensure more granular and comprehensive weather data collection across the country, improving forecasting accuracy and disaster preparedness.

With extreme weather events becoming more frequent, the expansion of radar and ground-based monitoring systems is seen as a key step toward strengthening India’s climate resilience framework

On Weather forecasting, the Minister said The India Meteorological Department (IMD) delivered a highly accurate forecast for the 2025 Southwest Monsoon, with seasonal and heavy rainfall predictions closely matching actual observations.

Dr. Jitendra Singh, said IMD follows a seamless forecasting strategy for monsoonal rainfall, issuing forecasts and warnings across multiple time and spatial scales to improve preparedness and response.

The Minister said the seasonal long-range forecast for the 2025 Southwest Monsoon proved highly accurate. In April 2025, IMD had predicted that rainfall during the June–September monsoon season would be 105% of the Long Period Average (LPA) for the country as a whole.

The actual rainfall recorded was 108% of the LPA, which fell within the forecast’s margin of error. He added that spatial probability forecasts were also largely accurate across most regions, and monthly rainfall forecasts closely matched observed values, remaining within forecast limits.

Highlighting improvements in extreme weather forecasting, Dr. Singh said the heavy rainfall forecast performance in 2025 demonstrated high skill. The Probability of Detection (POD) stood at 0.85, indicating strong overall accuracy in predicting heavy rainfall events.

The improved forecast accuracy is significant in the context of rising extreme weather events and supports better disaster preparedness, agricultural planning and water resource management.

The government reiterated that IMD continues to refine its models and forecasting systems to further enhance accuracy and reliability across time scales.