What's up with the IMD radar?: Glitch in radar hits weather forecasting

Hyderabad: Every day, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Hyderabad, gives the weather forecast for the next seven days. But did you know that the IMD radar has been not functioning for the last few days?

Radars send electromagnetic waves to clouds and based on the frequency received back by the sensor, the intensity of the rain bands is obtained and analysed to give the rainfall forecast. The radars are most essential during monsoons.

"It has been around 20 days since the IMD radar stopped working. Glitches have occurred earlier also. I have been giving weather updates since 2019 but I have seen it go offline for a maximum of four days in all these years. This is the first time it has gone offline for such a long time," says T Balaji, popularly known as Telangana Weatherman. He also says that for the last two days, the IMD radar has gone completely offline.

"Usually, radars give updates every 10 minutes. But because of this glitch, it is giving updates after 5-6 hours, and sometimes it is not giving updates at all," says adds Balaji.

Not just the IMD but independent weather observers are also having difficulties because of the malfunctioning radar. "Without the radar, it is difficult to forecast the weather. Now, I am using alternative sources like satellite images from international agencies, wind movements, moisture content, etc. to calculate, analyse, and give the forecast," explains Balaji.

An IMD official said the radar had some technical glitches. "We are currently using satellite images to give forecasts. The radar used to work round the clock but now its functioning is disrupted. It has a technical glitch and a technician is looking into it. It will be restored as soon as possible as we also need the data because it is the rainy season," he said.

Heavy rains in parts of TS on 8 & 9 July

Meanwhile, very heavy rainfall is forecasted for north and east Telangana on 8 and 9 July. "There is a low-pressure area in central India and also a trough in the Bay of Bengal which is causing a strong inflow of moisture to Telangana. The north and east districts will witness heavy rainfall, even causing floods in some places. In Hyderabad, light to moderate rains are expected," said Balaji.