Pune: India Launches Indigenous ‘Bharat Forecasting System’ For More Accurate Weather Predictions
New Delhi/Pune, 28th May 2025: Weather forecasts in India are set to become significantly more precise with the official launch of the indigenously developed Bharat Forecasting System (BFS), created by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. The advanced forecasting platform was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Earth Sciences, Dr. Jitendra Singh, at a recent event in New Delhi.
The BFS will now be officially adopted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), marking a crucial shift toward homegrown technology in the field of weather prediction. This state-of-the-art system allows for more granular and localized forecasts, enhancing India’s ability to respond effectively to changing weather patterns.
The event was attended by Dr. M Ravichandran, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of IMD, and Dr. Suryachandra Rao, Director of IITM. The development of the system involved contributions from 12 scientists at IITM, including Dr. Medha Deshpande, Dr. Phani Muralikrishna, Dr. Siddhartha Kumar, Dr. Malay Ganae, and Dr. Snehalata Tirkey.
Until now, the IMD has used the Coupled Forecasting System (CFS), developed originally by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), USA, and customized for Indian conditions under the Monsoon Mission Project. The Global Forecasting System (GFS) is also in use, combining atmospheric and oceanic data to predict weather from hourly to seasonal scales.
However, the BFS represents a significant leap forward in terms of precision and self-reliance. Capable of delivering forecasts at a 6-kilometre resolution, it outperforms global models, which typically operate at a 9–14 km resolution. It is expected to improve the accuracy of extreme rainfall forecasts by 30% and rainfall patterns in core monsoon zones by 64%.
“Accurate weather forecasts help minimize potential losses, accelerate economic growth, and improve profitability across sectors,” said Dr. Jitendra Singh, praising the BFS as a technological achievement that propels India to the forefront of global meteorological science. “This is Indian technology, built by Indian scientists, for the benefit of Indian citizens—and beyond,” he added.
The BFS was initiated in 2017 and underwent extensive testing over three years. It leverages India’s supercomputers ‘ARCH’ and ‘Arunika’ for high-speed processing. Introduced in 2022, the system is now ready for full-scale deployment, as part of the government’s ‘Mission Mausam’, which includes a ₹2,000 crore budget for modernizing weather infrastructure across India.
Beyond India, BFS is also expected to be useful in other tropical regions, reinforcing India’s emerging leadership in climate and environmental sciences.
