New radar tech to spruce up cyclone forecasting

India is investing in new supercomputers, high-resolution radar systems and automated weather observatories to improve cyclone forecasting efforts over the next five years, its top weather official said.

The most dramatic overhaul in nearly a quarter century comes after early warnings and timely evacuations this month helped the South Asian nation avert major casualties after cyclone Biparjoy hit its west coast.

“In the next five years, our cyclone forecasting will get even better,” Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director-general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told.

Specific improvements cover detection or identification of the formation of cyclones, and accuracy of critical elements such as landfall, wind speed, inundation and storm surge, he added, but stopped short of detailing funding plans.

The weather service aims to deploy 62 radars, up from 37, and triple the speed of its supercomputers to 30 petaflops from 10, to enable quicker processing of weather-related data, Mohapatra said.