India has forecast the weather since the India Meteorological Department (IMD) was founded in 1875 — one of the world's oldest weather services. For decades its warnings were coarse and slow. Over the 2010s the radar and satellite network grew, cyclone deaths fell sharply, and in September 2024 the government approved Mission Mausam to take forecasting to the next level.
Weather · Mission Mausam
Weather · Mission Mausam
Mission Mausam, approved in September 2024 with a ~Rs 2,000 crore outlay, is India's push to become 'weather-ready and climate-smart'. It expands the observation network — radars, balloons, buoys, even a cloud chamber — and sharpens forecasts. The counter shows Doppler radars in operation: 39 in December 2024 and 47 by January 2026.
Rs 2,000 cr
Mission outlay (2024-26)
47
Doppler radars operating (Jan 2026)
12 → 6 km
Forecast resolution (target)
Doppler radars operating
| Year | Doppler weather radars |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2026 | 47 |
| Dashed bars are years the source does not publish; the shape between published years is drawn, not measured. | |
2024
0
Doppler weather radars
20242026
Since 2024
Added
+8
2024
39
2026
47
Dashed bars are years the source does not publish; the shape between published years is drawn, not measured.
Why it matters India's monsoon, cyclones, heatwaves and floods touch every farmer, fisher and city. Faster, more local forecasts save lives and crops — a one-hour cyclone warning or a sharper monsoon outlook is worth billions. Mission Mausam aims to make forecasts precise down to the village and the hour.
- Mission Mausam was approved in September 2024 with a ~Rs 2,000 crore outlay for 2024-26.
- It expands the Doppler radar network — 47 in operation by January 2026, with 87 more planned — alongside radiosondes, wind profilers, ocean buoys and a cloud chamber.
- It aims to sharpen forecast model resolution from 12 km to 6 km and cut nowcasts from 3 hours to 1.
- The IMD, which turned 150 in 2025, runs it with IITM Pune and NCMRWF.
History
Notable milestone
Mission Mausam, with a ~Rs 2,000 crore outlay for 2024-26, was launched by the Prime Minister on 14 January 2025 — the IMD's 150th anniversary. It expands the Doppler radar network — 47 radars were operating by January 2026, with 87 more planned — along with radiosondes, wind profilers, ocean buoys and even a cloud chamber to study how monsoon clouds and rain form.
How it works
More sensors mean more data; faster computers turn it into sharper forecasts. The mission aims to lift model resolution from 12-km to 6-km grid blocks, compress nowcasts from three hours to one, and improve short-to-medium-range accuracy by 5-10%. It is run jointly by the IMD, IITM Pune and NCMRWF.
Outlook
Sharper forecasting is quiet infrastructure with a huge payoff — for farmers deciding when to sow, fishers deciding whether to sail, and airports, power grids and disaster agencies. The mission even explores weather-modification (cloud-seeding) research for managing rain and fog.
By the numbers
Rs 2,000 crore outlay (2024-26). 39 → 47 Doppler radars operating (Dec 2024 → Jan 2026), 87% of area covered. 12 → 6 km forecast resolution target; 3 hr → 1 hr nowcasts. IMD turned 150 in 2025. Sources: Ministry of Earth Sciences, IMD, PIB.
Data current to: as reported 29 January 2026
Source: MoES / IMD via PIB — Doppler Weather Radars in operation. PIB: 39 installed as of December 2024; 47 in operation in January 2026, covering 87% of the country's area (linked). Mission Mausam (September 2024) planned 87 more by 2026. Earlier years are not plotted: no release read gives a year-wise count. · link