The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is a Government agency and the national meteorological service of India, functioning under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting, and seismology, with its headquarters in New Delhi.
The IMD was formed on January 15, 1875, following a catastrophic tropical cyclone in Calcutta in 1864 and subsequent famines in 1866 and 1873 caused by monsoon failures. The department was established to organize the collection and analysis of meteorological observations under a single central authority, with Henry Francis Blanford appointed as the first Meteorological Reporter.
The IMD's mechanism involves taking meteorological observations and providing current and forecast information for weather-sensitive activities like agriculture, shipping, and aviation. It issues warnings for severe weather phenomena, including tropical cyclones and heat waves. It utilizes advanced satellite systems, such as the INSAT series, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The department operates through six Regional Meteorological Centres (RMCs) and 26 Meteorological Centres (MCs) at the state level.
The IMD is one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In this capacity, it is responsible for forecasting, naming, and distributing warnings for tropical cyclones in the Northern Indian Ocean region.
Recently, the IMD has rolled out a digital Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System (MHEW-DSS) under the Mission Mausam initiative. This system has reduced forecast preparation time by 50% and improved accuracy by around 30%. The period between 2014 and 2023 saw a rapid enhancement of services, with forecast accuracy improving by 40-50%. The IMD has also introduced a Heat Index to provide a more accurate measure of physiological heat stress by incorporating humidity.