India has unveiled the Bharat Forecasting System (BFS), the world’s first global weather prediction model operating at a 6 km spatial resolution. Developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), this high-precision system outperforms current models from Europe, the US, and the UK, which typically operate between 9 km to 14 km resolutions.
More Localised, Real-Time Weather Alerts
The BFS is tailored for India’s tropical climate, where unpredictable and fast-changing weather demands finer forecasts. The earlier model delivered one forecast for four villages, but BFS enables individual forecasts for each village, enhancing disaster preparedness and agricultural planning.
Powered by India’s New Supercomputer Arka
This breakthrough was made possible by Arka, a next-gen supercomputer at IITM with:
- 11.77 petaflops computing power
- 33 petabytes of storage
Arka processes forecast data in just four hours, compared to the 10 hours taken by the previous system, Pratyush.
Revolutionizing Key Sectors
Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh highlighted that BFS will transform:
- Monsoon tracking
- Cyclone monitoring
- Flood forecasting
- Agriculture planning
- Aviation and defense
- Disaster management
He noted that BFS represents India’s growing prowess as the world’s fourth-largest economy.
Doppler Radar Integration for Nowcasting
Currently using a network of 40 Doppler Weather Radars, BFS offers nowcasts—ultra-short-term forecasts for the next 2 hours—which will become even more granular as the radar network expands to 100 units nationwide.
India Leads in Tropical Forecasting
The BFS covers the entire tropical region (30°N to 30°S), aligning perfectly with India’s geographic position (8.4°N to 37.6°N). With this system, India joins the global elite in meteorological technology—delivering precision where it matters most.
