News Brief
Mission Mausam Explained: How India Plans To Upgrade Weather Forecasting With Satellites, Supercomputers, And AI
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (13 January) launched Mission Mausam, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming India’s weather forecasting and climate resilience.
With advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and state-of-the-art observational tools, the mission aspires to equip India for the challenges posed by increasingly erratic weather patterns and climate change.
"We have launched "Mission Mausam' to make India weather-ready and climate-smart. Research and innovation in scientific institutions are part of the temperament of new India," said PM Modi.
The initiative also included the release of IMD’s Vision-2047 document for climate change adaptation and a commemorative coin to mark 150 years of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Mission Mausam will be implemented in two phases over five years, with distinct goals:
Phase One (2023–2026): Enhancing Observational Network
The first phase focuses on expanding India’s weather observation capabilities. Key deliverables include:
70 Doppler radars, a significant leap from the current 39.
Installation of 10 wind profilers and 10 radiometers, essential tools for high-precision atmospheric data.
Upgrades to high-performance supercomputers to enhance forecasting models.
Setting up a cloud chamber at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, to study cloud processes and experiment with cloud seeding technologies.
Phase Two: Adding Satellites and Aircraft
The second phase will deploy advanced satellites and aircraft to improve observational depth and accuracy. These additions will enable better monitoring of atmospheric processes and the development of weather management technologies.
India faces unique challenges in weather forecasting due to its tropical climate and complex geography. The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) highlights several gaps and hurdles:
Sparse Observational Data: The current observation network lacks the spatial and temporal density required for accurate predictions.
Low Model Resolution: Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models operate at a horizontal resolution of 12 km, making it difficult to predict local weather events.
Chaotic Climate Effects: Climate change is intensifying isolated heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, thunderstorms, and lightning, creating simultaneous risks of flooding and drought.
To address these challenges, Mission Mausam aims to:
Increase the resolution of NWP models from 12 km to 6 km for granular, panchayat-level forecasts, improve short-to-medium range forecast accuracy by 5–10 per cent, enhance air quality predictions in metro cities by up to 10 per cent, and provide forecasts with a lead time of 10–15 days and improve nowcasting intervals from three hours to one hour.
How Mission Mausam Will Work
A significant innovation under the mission is the establishment of a cloud chamber at IITM, Pune.
This laboratory will create artificial clouds to study their behaviour under rising temperatures.
Experiments will identify which cloud types can be seeded, the materials to use, and the optimal quantities for inducing rain or preventing it.
Insights will also help mitigate risks of extreme weather events like thunderstorms and lightning.
Additionally, the mission plans to develop weather management technologies, shifting the paradigm from merely forecasting weather to managing its impact.
