'Early Heatwave Alert Possible With Mission Mausam'
Heatwave forecasts can now be issued 4–5 days in advance as Mission Mausam improves weather prediction accuracy, says Union Minister in reply to a question by MP Chunnilal Garasiya
Udaipur, March 13, 2026 - The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is now issuing heatwave forecasts 4-5 days in advance, enabling more effective implementation of the Heat Action Plan. Additionally, owing to advanced technological systems, cyclone track forecast errors have reduced by 20–25% during 2021–25 compared to 2016–20.
This information was provided in the Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, while responding to a question raised by Rajasthan MP Chunnilal Garasiya regarding the implementation status of Mission Mausam.
The Minister informed that under Mission Mausam, high-performance computing (HPC) systems were inaugurated on September 26, 2024, in Pune and Noida. The new systems — Arka (11.77 petaflops), Arunika (8.24 petaflops) and a 1.9 petaflops AI-ML system — together increase the Ministry’s total computing capacity to 21.91 petaflops. This infrastructure enables high-resolution weather and climate modelling as well as AI and machine learning-based forecasting.
Singh said that with the introduction of these new systems, forecast accuracy has improved significantly. Compared to 2016–20, the cyclone track forecast error reduced by 20–25% during 2021–25. The intensity forecast accuracy improved by 33–35% (up to 72 hours). The landfall point error reduced from 31.9 km to 19.0 km within 24 hours, and from 61.5 km to 34.4 km within 48 hours. Additionally, heatwave forecasts are now issued 4–5 days in advance, enabling effective implementation of Heat Action Plans.
Owing to improvements under Mission Mausam, several socio-economic benefits are also being observed. These include timely coastal evacuations and improved disaster preparedness, better agricultural planning during the monsoon season and reduced loss of life, property and economic disruption.
The Ministry has proposed a second phase of Mission Mausam, which will focus on strengthening the national weather observation network, enhancing high-resolution modelling capabilities, and expanding AI- and ML-based forecasting systems. The mission will continue as a multi-phase programme.
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