The India meteorological department maintains a countrywide network of observational stations from where weather reports are received at Pune through the Regional Telecommunication Hub (rth) based at New Delhi. With the help of these reports and other observations from the globe, the Pune office issues the All India Daily Weather Bulletin and Weather Forecasts for the entire country
For improving the accuracy of cyclone warnings to ports and coastal areas, the department has set up Cyclone Warning Radars along the east coast at Calcutta, Paradeep, Vishakhapatnam, Machilipatnam, Madras and Karaikal and along the west coast at Bhuj, Bombay, Goa and Kochi. These radars can detect and follow cyclones 400 km off the coast. There are 3 Area Cyclone Warning Centers at Calcutta, Madras and Bombay and 3 Cyclone Warning Centres at Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneshwar and Ahmedabad. The Cyclone Warning and Research Centre at Madras conducts research on cyclones. The complete cyclone warning work is supervised and co-ordinated on real time basis by the Weather Central in the Office of DDGM (WF), Pune. A Cyclone Warning Division at HQrs, has been set up to co-ordinate and supervise the totality of cyclone warning programme in the country. Information received at Pune from the INSAT and Polar Orbiting Satellites of USA and USSR are utilised particularly when cyclones are in the ocean areas beyond the range of the radars. The INSAT system is also used to activate the Disaster Warning System (DWS) network along the coast whenever a tropical cyclone is predicted to strike a district. This unique system of disseminating weather warning has won handsome public appreciation.
As a responsibility to the International Communities under WMO/ESCAP Panel of tropical cyclones, advisories are issued by Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre of World Meteorological Organisation at New Delhi for the panel member countries during topical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian sea.
The most important whether phenomena are the Monsoons. The forecast about the arrival and day to day rainfall activity and the withdrawal of the Monsoon are done from this office at Pune.
The Weather Central also prepares and issues the Indian Daily Weather Report, Weekly Weather Report Monsoon Summary and Storm Accounts.
An Indian Ocean and Southern Hemispheric Analysis Centre (INOSHAC) was set up at Pune in 1966. INOSHAC is issuing fleet forecasts and other bulletins for the activities over Indian Ocean in the Southern Hemisphere.
About 60 years ago in April 1929 to be exact, an Aviation Weather Service was set up in India to serve the earliest commercial flights, notably the airmail flights between England and India. Since then Aviation has soared higher and faster and the demand on meteorological department has increased may fold. This office co-ordinates all the Aviation services rendered by different units of the department. Verification of aviation forecasts and warnings are monitored by this unit to keep up the efficiency of the forecast service and to take corrective measures whenever needed. The Area Forecast Centre at New Delhi is responsible for the preparation of prognostic charts for aviation from Middle-East to South-east Asia for use in National and International Aviation Meteorological Offices.
The meteorological support to the marine activities like Naval, Mercantile and Fishing are provided by the India Meteorological Department. Recruitment of Indian Voluntary Observing Fleet (IVOF), supply of instruments to ships and collection of marine data are co-ordinated by this office at Pune. At present there are 228 ships under IVOF Scheme. In view of establishment of Coast Earth Station (CES) at Arvi (near New Bombay) there is a proposal to broadcoast sea area bulletins via International Maritime Satellite (INMARSAT) under Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS).
A large number of persons employed in the department are engaged in various activities. All these people are trained at Pune for performing their assigned duties efficiently. A specially designed training course for directly recruited Group-A Meteorologists came into effect from 1980 onwards. The facilities for meteorological training at Pune are utilised by the personnel from Defence, Coast Guard, Etc. Candidates nominated by the Meteorological services of other countries are given training here. The training centre at Pune is equipped with a spacious building with all modern facilities for conducting classes and a well-furnished hostel close by providing lodging and boarding facilities for 100 Trainees. The training centre is one of the Regional Meteorological Training Centres of World Meteorological Organisation.
The problems of weather forecasting are closely linked with the understanding of atmospheric processes, and for that Research and Investigation on technique development provide the necessary background. The investigation and Development Unit carries out research for developing new techniques in weather forecasting.
The non-aviation forecasts issued by all the forecasting offices of the department are verified and suitable instructions for the improvement are issued from this office.
The department is rendering assistance on meteorological aspects in the field of hydrology, water management and multi-purpose river valley projects. Ten Flood Meteorological Offices are functioning for Flood Forecast and Flood Control Services for the main rivers of the country mainly in the north and northeast.