Page 8 - Imd

Delhi wakes up to warm weather as mercury rises, strong winds likely ahead

Temperature fluctuations are likely to continue nationwide over the next few days

Delhi wakes up to warmer Sunday with fluctuating temperatures, moderate AQI

The IMD has predicted misty conditions in the early hours, followed by a predominantly clear sky as the day progresses

Delhi wakes up to a foggy morning; temperature fluctuations to continue

This January has been particularly unusual for Delhi, with a combination of unexpectedly high temperatures, dense fog, and deteriorating air quality

IMD forecasts warm Feb; above-normal temperatures may hit wheat crop

The cold wave days over Northwest India are also expected to be 'below-normal' in February

Delhi records warmest Jan since 2019, air quality sees slight improvement

The national capital wrapped up a rather warm January with Friday's maximum temperature reaching 27 degrees Celsius, making it the city's warmest day in the month since 2019. The month's average maximum temperature was 21.1 degrees Celsius, a notch above the long-period average of 20.1 degrees Celsius, marking it as Delhi's warmest January since 2019. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, nighttime temperatures were also higher than usual. The average minimum temperature for the month settled at 8.5 degrees Celsius, a notch above the LPA of 7.5 degrees Celsius, and the highest since 2017 when it was 8.7 degrees Celsius. Meteorologists attributed the warmer-than-usual January to the absence of strong western disturbances, which typically bring rain, lowering the temperature. "This month, while western disturbances did pass through north India, most of them were feeble and did not result in substantial snowfall or rainfall," said Mahesh Palawat, a weather expert.

Improving capabilities: IMD must remain at the forefront of innovation

As India's weather-tracking department recently turned 150, its importance cannot be overstated. Weather forecasting plays a crucial role in daily operations across various sectors

Vision Document 2047: IMD aims for zero-error forecast up to 3 days

PM urges scientists to develop warning systems for earthquakes

IMD celebrates 150 years: From humble beginnings to global weather leader

From a few rain gauges in 1875 to rivalling the world's best weather agencies, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has weathered its way to becoming a global leader in forecasting. Born out of calamities -- a devastating cyclone in 1864 and monsoon failures in 1866 and 1871 -- the IMD, turning 150 on January 15, has transformed from a humble setup into a cutting-edge hub of weather science. "HF Blandford, the first Meteorological Reporter to the then Government of India, prepared the first rainfall map of the country (undivided India) using data from 77 rain gauges... The IMD has come a long way since its modest start," IMD Director General Mrutyunjaya Mohapatra told PTI. According to its 2023 report, the IMD operates 39 Doppler Weather Radars, INSAT 3D/3DR satellites providing 15-minute cloud updates, and a robust network of 806 Automatic Weather Stations, 200 Agro-AWS, 5,896 rain monitoring stations, 83 lightning sensors and 63 Pilot Balloon Stations. The IMD's key ...

Dense fog blankets Delhi; flights, trains delayed as cold wave intensifies

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for dense fog conditions in Delhi

Guests from 'undivided India' invited for celebration of IMD's 150 yrs

The government has invited officials from all countries, including Pakistan, that were once part of undivided India to mark 150 years of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Nepal have been invited to join the celebrations. Representatives from the Middle East and Southwest Asia are also on the guest list. "We wanted officials from all countries which were part of undivided India at the time of IMD's establishment to be part of the celebrations," said a senior IMD official. While Pakistan has confirmed its participation, the IMD is still waiting to hear from Bangladesh. To make the celebrations memorable, the Ministry of Finance has approved a special Rs 150 commemorative coin. From marathons to exhibitions, workshops to olympiads, the festivities are expected to be as vibrant as India's weather itself. For the first time ever, the IMD will showcase its own tableau in the Republic Day

Severe cold grips north India, IMD says mercury could dip further

The winter chill intensified in most parts of north India on Wednesday as night temperatures in the Kashmir Valley dipped in most parts to settle below zero degrees, while it inched closer to the freezing point even in parts of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. The national capital, however, saw a brief respite from the bitter cold during the day and saw a sunny afternoon and higher daytime temperatures. In Himachal Pradesh, the weather department issued a yellow warning for a cold wave, ground frost and dense fog for some places in five of the 12 districts in the state -- Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra and Mandi. Due to a western disturbance, there is a possibility of rain and snowfall in parts of northwest India later in the week, the weather office said. The India Meteorological Department said in its Wednesday bulletin that minimum temperatures are likely to fall by about 2 degrees Celsius in northwest India during the next 24 hours and a gradual rise by 2-4 degrees thereafter.

Govt plans to make weather data sharing with IMD mandatory for airlines

The government is planning to make it mandatory for domestic airlines to share weather data captured by aircraft during takeoff and landing with the IMD, which senior officials say will significantly enhance forecasting capabilities. M Ravichandran, secretary in the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, told PTI that his ministry had been in discussions with the civil aviation ministry on the matter, and providing weather data would be "made mandatory for domestic airlines within a year". "It has to be mandatory... It will not only be very useful for airline operations but also for weather forecasts everywhere," he said. The earth sciences ministry secretary said weather forecasts depended largely on the number of observations collected. "The more observations we have, the better our predictions can be. It is similar to an exit poll -- if you gather data from more places, you will get a clearer picture. In the same way, we aim to collect information on temperature, humidity, and wind .

Delhi wakes up to dense fog as severe cold wave grips Northern India

The IMD has issued an orange alert for very dense fog in the national capital

IMD weather update: Dense fog disrupts travel amid freezing temperatures

Several parts of Delhi were engulfed in dense fog on Tuesday morning. Trains and flight services have been disrupted due to adverse weather. IMD predicts light rain in the northern region

Dense fog in Delhi, city sees season's longest zero visibility spell

Dense fog enveloped the national capital on Saturday, reducing visibility to zero for an unprecedented nine-hour stretch, the longest spell of the season, according to the weather department. The dense fog led to the delay of 81 trains while 15 flights got diverted on Saturday, according to officials. "Zero visibility prevailed for nine hours at Palam between 6 pm and 3 am (UTC), marking the longest spell of the season. The city's primary weather station, Safdarjung, recorded eight hours of zero visibility, as per the IMD." With the the maximum temperature in the city settled at 20 degrees Celsius, 0.7 notch above average and the minimum temperature was recorded at 7.8 degrees Celsius, 0.9 notch above the normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The relative humidity during the day ranged between 96 and 100 per cent, it said. For Sunday, the weather department has predicted a partly cloudy sky. The predominant surface wind is expected to blow from the

Delhi's air quality worsens; 'very poor' AQI prompts GRAP Stage III curbs

In response to the worsening air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) announced the reimplementation of stricter pollution control measures under Grap Stage III

Cold wave maintains hold on Delhi despite marginal rise in temperature

Frigid winds and moderate to dense fog will maintain a biting chill in Delhi, according to weather forecasts

IMD says 2024 warmest year in India since 1901; China also heating up

The annual mean temperature in 2024 was 25.75 degrees Celsius, 0.65 degrees above the long-period average, making it the highest recorded since 1901

IMD predicts minimum Jan temp to be higher than normal in most regions

Minimum temperatures are expected to be higher than normal in most parts of India in January, except in some areas of eastern, northwest, and west-central regions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday. Maximum temperatures are also likely to be above normal for most parts of the country, except in parts of northwest, central and eastern India, and central parts of the southern peninsula, Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said during a virtual press briefing. Western and northern parts of central India are expected to experience more cold wave days than usual during January, he said. The IMD said rainfall in north India during January to March is likely to be below normal, with less than 86 per cent of the long-period average (LPA). The average rainfall for north India during this period, based on 1971-2020 data, is about 184.3 mm. Northern and northwestern states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu

2024 was India's warmest year since 1901, global temp also hit record high

The year 2024 was the warmest on record in India since 1901, with the average minimum temperature settling 0.90 degrees Celsius above the long-period average. The annual mean land surface air temperature across India in 2024 was 0.65 degrees Celsius above the long-term average (1991-2020 period), Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said at a virtual press briefing. The year 2024 now ranks as the warmest year on record since 1901, surpassing 2016, which had recorded a mean land surface air temperature 0.54 degrees Celsius above normal. According to the European climate agency Copernicus, 2024 likely ended as the warmest year on record and the first year with a global average temperature 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. A yearly review report by two groups of climate scientists -- World Weather Attribution and Climate Central -- said that the world experienced an average of 41 more days of dangerous heat in 2024.