IMD to install 200 Automatic Weather Stations in four cities

• Union Minister Jitendra Singh announced a significant expansion of India’s urban weather observation infrastructure with the deployment of 200 Automatic Weather Stations across four major metropolitan cities.

• He made the announcement during the 151st Foundation Day celebrations of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on January 15.

• The minister said that 50 Automatic Weather Stations each will be installed in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Pune during the year 2026.

• It will mark a decisive step towards strengthening hyper-local, real-time weather forecasting and disaster preparedness, particularly in densely populated urban regions.

• An Automatic Weather Station is defined by the World Meteorological Organisation as ‘a meteorological station at which observations are made and transmitted automatically’.

• A dense network of Automatic Weather Stations will provide granular and high-resolution spatial data, enabling more accurate prediction of sudden downpours, thunderstorms, extreme heat events, and rapid pressure changes.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)