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 institution responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting, and seismology. The IMD was established on January 15, 1875, by the Government of India. Its creation was a direct response to catastrophic weather events, including a devastating tropical cyclone in Calcutta in 1864 and subsequent monsoon failures in 1866 and 1871, which necessitated a central authority for meteorological work. Mr. H. F. Blanford was appointed the first Meteorological Reporter.
The IMD's core mechanism involves taking meteorological observations and providing current and forecast information for weather-sensitive sectors like agriculture, shipping, and aviation. A key function is issuing warnings against severe weather phenomena such as tropical cyclones, heat waves, and heavy rains. The department utilizes a network of hundreds of observation stations, including 39 Doppler Weather Radars by 2023, and processes data from satellites like INSAT 3D/3DR. It is organized with a Director General of Meteorology at its head and operates through six Regional Meteorological Centres (RMCs).
The IMD is internationally connected as one of the six Regional Specialised Meteorological Centres 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. Recent changes include a reported 40% improvement in forecast accuracy since 2014 and the expansion of the Doppler Radar network from 15 in 2014 to 39 by 2023. A committee has recently been constituted by the MoES to formulate a legal framework for meteorological services, as there is currently no single law defining the IMD's structure and responsibilities, a move prompted by a WMO mandate.