The Ministry of Science on Monday officially launched the Bharat Forecast System (BFS), touted as the world’s most precise indigenously developed weather forecasting model. After three years of rigorous testing since its initial unveiling in 2022, BFS is now fully operational, marking a significant advancement in India’s meteorological capabilities.
Developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, BFS leverages cutting-edge supercomputing power and satellite imagery to deliver fast and highly accurate weather forecasts. The model is powered by the supercomputer ‘Arka’, which boasts a massive capacity of 11.77 petaflops and 33 petabytes of storage, enabling rapid processing of vast amounts of weather data.
Parthasarathy Mukhopadhayay, a key researcher on the project, explained that BFS utilizes data from a nationwide network of 40 Doppler Weather Radars—high-resolution weather monitoring stations—to produce localized forecasts and nowcasts, or immediate weather predictions. Plans are underway to expand this radar network to 100, which will help deliver nowcasts across India within the next two hours.
What Sets BFS Apart?
The BFS incorporates several major upgrades over previous forecasting systems, excelling in speed, accuracy, and localization:
Speed: Earlier models took 12 to 14 hours to generate forecasts for specific regions. According to Suryachandra Rao, Director of IITM-Pune, the BFS can now deliver forecasts within just four to six hours thanks to advances in high-performance computing under the government’s ‘Mission Mausam’.
Accuracy: Beyond speed, BFS offers enhanced precision. A senior Earth Sciences Ministry official noted, “This significant milestone represents a major leap in India's self-reliance in meteorological sciences, enabling more accurate and granular weather forecasts up to panchayat level for disaster risk reduction, agriculture, water resource management, and public safety.” The system has demonstrated a 30% improvement in predicting extreme rainfall events during the monsoon and has better cyclone path prediction capabilities.
Localized Predictions: Traditional systems forecast weather on a 12 km grid. BFS refines this to a 6 km grid, allowing forecasts at the village and panchayat level with an impressive 64% improvement in prediction accuracy.
Launched the first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art indigenous “Bharat Forecast System” #BharatFS by ‘India Meteorological Department’ under the Ministry of Earth Sciences #MoES.
A major leap in IMD’s capabilities, this breakthrough places India among global leaders in weather… pic.twitter.com/Qs1RMBaqga — Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) May 26, 2025
Towards Inclusive Weather Forecasting
Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director General of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), highlighted that the BFS launch aligns with the government’s initiative to make weather forecasts more accessible and beneficial to all citizens.
With BFS, India has become the only country operating a global forecast system in real time with such high resolution, placing it at the forefront of meteorological science worldwide.
The system was formally handed over to the IMD by the Minister of Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, who lauded the achievement as a leap towards India’s scientific self-reliance.
This landmark development promises to bolster disaster preparedness, agricultural planning, water management, and public safety across the country, heralding a new era in weather forecasting.
