Overview
- India's radar network, which reached 50 operational units Wednesday, now covers about 87% of the country, according to Union Minister Jitendra Singh at the IMD headquarters in New Delhi.
- The modern units use dual-polarisation Doppler technology that reads both the motion and shape of raindrops, which helps tell rain from hail, sharpens rainfall estimates, and cuts false alarms.
- IMD has rolled out Nowcast services that give hyperlocal forecasts for the next three hours, a tool meant to flag fast-building storms, cloudbursts, and other short-fuse hazards.
- The government plans 50 more radars under Mission Mausam, with priority for vulnerable areas such as Jammu and Kashmir after recent extreme weather.
- Officials report wider public use of IMD updates by farmers and households on mobile phones, and they say improved forecasts are also aiding neighbouring countries.