Mission Mausam: Progress on Weather Forecasting and Early Warning Systems

📌 Summary:

• Mission Mausam was launched by the Prime Minister on 14 January 2025 to make India a "Weather-ready and Climate-smart" nation
• It seeks to strengthen Earth-system observations, understanding, modelling and forecasting for seamless weather/climate services and an improved early-warning system
• Observational network being expanded: IMD currently receives data from 50 Doppler Weather Radars; being augmented with 29 C-Band, 45 X-Band and 12 S-Band DWRs, plus 19 wind profilers, 25 microwave radiometers and 60 GPS radiosonde stations
• The New Bharat Forecasting System (BharatFS) runs at a very high 6 km resolution (down to block and panchayat levels); global models GFS (IMD) and Mithuna (NCMRWF, Noida) run at 12 km, supported by upgraded HPC systems "Arunika" and "Arka"
• IMD's indigenous Decision Support System has delivered a 40% improvement in severe-weather forecast accuracy vs the previous decade; impact-based, district-level risk warnings issued for cyclones, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, heat and cold waves

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Disaster Management & Science & Technology — early-warning systems, indigenous forecasting capability and Atmanirbhar Bharat in weather services.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• Mission Mausam launched 14 January 2025 under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
• BharatFS operates at 6 km resolution; NCMRWF is located in Noida
• HPC systems: "Arunika" and "Arka"; IMD reports 40% improvement in severe-weather forecast accuracy

🔑 Key Term: Mission Mausam — a MoES scheme to make India weather-ready and climate-smart through expanded observation, modelling and forecasting.