New Delhi:

The government is planning to make it mandatory for domestic airlines to share weather data captured by aircraft during takeoffs and landings with the weather office, which could lead to significantly better forecasts.

Currently, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) launches weather balloons from 50-60 stations to collect critical data on temperature, humidity and wind speed at various altitudes, which form crucial inputs for weather forecasting models.

These inputs could increase exponentially as the country records more than 6,000 takeoffs and landings by domestic airlines at various airports every day.

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.

M Ravichandran said weather forecasts depended largely on the number of observations collected.

He said that with new airports coming up in different parts of the country, the weather office could have access to data from a wider geographical region, leading to better localised predictions.

“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 wherever possible,” he said.

Vertical weather observations (obtained from aircraft and weather balloons) are more important than ground observations because they provide a complete picture of the atmosphere, not just what is happening at the surface, Ravichandran said.

Weather systems such as storms form and evolve in the atmosphere, where temperature, humidity and wind conditions at different altitudes play a key role, he said.

Aircraft also record weather data during takeoffs and landings. This data is transmitted to the ground in real-time and integrated into forecasting models. Unlike the limited number of weather balloons, thousands of aircraft can relay data.

M Ravichandran said all aircraft operating on international routes provided weather data because it was required by law.

However, not all domestic airlines do so as it is not mandatory for them.

He said many countries had made it mandatory for their airlines to provide this data and India needed to have a similar mechanism.

“The aircraft are already gathering the data. It would be a different issue if they were not doing so,” he said.

“Air connectivity is increasing tremendously in India, with each state having 10 to 15 airports. Our prediction capability will improve significantly if all domestic airlines start providing this crucial data,” he added.

Aircraft provide weather observations using sensors and instruments installed on the plane, which are typically part of onboard systems collectively referred to as Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR) or other advanced systems.

One major advantage of collecting weather data from aircraft is their ability to provide information from regions where weather balloons are rarely or never launched, such as over oceans or in remote areas.

Established in 1875, the IMD will turn 150 on January 15.

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Heatwave conditions are likely to reel over most parts of the country on June 3, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.

“Heatwave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Jammu division, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and Odisha on June 3,” said the weather bulletin.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a meeting to review the situation of the ongoing heatwave in the country and the preparedness for the onset of monsoon.

The Prime Minister was briefed that as per IMD forecasts, the heat wave is likely to continue in parts of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh.

This year, the monsoon is likely to be normal and above normal in most parts of the country and below normal in parts of Peninsular India, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) stated.

“Fire audit and electrical safety audit of hospitals and other public places must be undertaken regularly,” PM Modi instructed.

He also said that regular drills for the maintenance of firelines in forests and productive utilization of biomass must be planned.

The Prime Minister was informed about the usefulness of the “van agni” portal in the timely identification of forest fires and their management.

With scorching heatwaves gripping several parts of the country, at least 56 deaths from heatstroke have been confirmed in multiple states by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), sources said on Saturday.

The Southwest Monsoon hit the coast of Kerala and advanced into parts of northeast India from Thursday, said the Indian Meteorological Department.

This year’s Monsoon onset is two days earlier as the usual date of the onset is on June 1.

This year, Kerala experienced widespread pre-monsoon rains.

In 2023, rainfall over the country as a whole during the monsoon season (June-September), was 94 per cent of its long-period average.

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New Delhi:

India Meteorological Department on Friday warned of a likely heatwave in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for the next five days. It also forecasted a heatwave in states like Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for the next four days.

The weather agency also said that mercury had soared as high as 45 degrees Celsius in many places across the country in May.

Speaking to ANI, Senior IMD scientist Dr Naresh Kumar said, “..From April till the last few days, continuous western disturbances were influencing Northwest India, due to which parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand experienced isolated rainfall. Due to this, the temperatures were not very high. In May, the temperature reached 45 degrees Celsius in many places. Even today, the temperature has already reached 45 degrees Celsius in Rajasthan,” he said.

“In Punjab and Haryana, the temperature is also near 44 degrees Celsius and the conditions of the heatwave are similar to those in Uttar Pradesh…A heatwave is likely in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh for the next 5 days and in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for 4 days, after which there may be mild thunderstorms, due to which the temperature may drop slightly…,” Kumar added.

Similarly, for the southern states, he said, “Heavy to very heavy rains are likely in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and South Karnataka in the next 5 days…”

The Met department in its weather advisory has said that heat to severe heat wave conditions are likely over the plains of Northwest India and Bihar during the next 5 days and Heat wave conditions are very likely to commence over East and Central India from May 18.

The Met department further said that a wet spell with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely to continue over south Peninsular India till May 23.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)