Rain Alert in Rajasthan

• 19 Sep 2024

Why in News?

Recently, the India Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for rainfall in several districts of eastern Rajasthan, including Jaipur, Ajmer, Alwar, and Udaipur.

Key Points

• Color Coded Alerts:
  • Green Alert: Signifies "No warning," with light to moderate rainfall forecasted, ranging from 15.6 mm to 64.4 mm.
  • Yellow Alert: Signifies "Watch," with heavy rainfall expected, ranging from 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm.
  • Orange Alert: Stands for "Alert," indicating very heavy rainfall, ranging from 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm.
  • Red Alert: Signifies "Warning," with extremely heavy rainfall forecasted, exceeding 204.5 mm.
• Upgrade in Forecasting: India's weather department is set for a significant upgrade to improve localized and extreme-weather predictions with greater accuracy.
  • New Mission: A new weather forecasting mission with a budget of at least Rs 10,000 crore is expected to launch soon, significantly larger than the Monsoon Mission, 2012.
  • It will emphasize developing accurate computer simulation models for India and addressing climate change scenarios.
  • The mission will enhance the use of sophisticated instruments like Doppler radars and integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) in weather forecasting.
  • India has three meteorological satellites (INSAT-3D, INSAT-3DR and INSAT-3DS), with the next-generation INSAT-4 series under development to provide high-resolution data for improved forecasts.

India Meteorological Department (IMD)

• IMD was established in 1875. It is the National Meteorological Service of the country and the principal government agency in all matters relating to meteorology and allied subjects.
  • It works as an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
  • It is headquartered in New Delhi.
  • IMD is also one of the six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres of the World Meteorological Organization.
• Roles and Responsibilities:
  • To take meteorological observations and to provide current and forecast meteorological information for optimum operation of weather-sensitive activities like agriculture, irrigation, shipping, aviation, offshore oil explorations, etc.
  • To warn against severe weather phenomena like tropical cyclones, norwesters, dust storms, heavy rains and snow, cold and heat waves, etc., which cause destruction of life and property.
  • To provide meteorological statistics required for agriculture, water resource management, industries, oil exploration and other nation-building activities.
  • To conduct and promote research in meteorology and allied disciplines.