IMD launches first weather app for general public

Mausam offers fives services – current temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction for 200 cities and the information is updated eight times a day.

Now people can keep abreast of weather updates with Mausam, a mobile app that provides all current weather forecasts through the week and even radar-based forecasts updated every 10 minutes.

Rain clouds are seen over the Kangra Valley after a rainfall in Dharmsala, India. (AP)

This is the first app launched by the 145-year-old India Meteorological Department (IMD) that is meant for everyone. It already has another app, Meghdoot, meant only for farmers and those involved in agriculture.

The ministry of earth sciences launched the app on Monday on the occasion of its foundation day. The app, which can be downloaded on Playstore and Appstore, is dedicated to the public and designed to provide weather information and forecasts in a lucid manner without technical jargon, the ministry said in a statement.

Mausam offers fives services – current temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction for 200 cities and the information is updated eight times a day. There is information on sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset, three hourly warnings of local weather phenomena and their intensity issued for about 800 stations, and forecast of weather conditions for 450 cities for the past 24 hours and seven day.

The app was designed and developed jointly by ICRISAT’s Digital Agriculture and Youth team, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, and IMD.

“Meghdoot was meant only for farmers. This is for everyone. The now-cast feature of this app will tell you if there will be rain, thunder or any other severe weather in your area based on data from the nearest meteorological station. Otherwise, there will be city-based information and forecasts and even radar products,” said M Rajeevan, secretary in the ministry of earth sciences.