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India has made a significant advancement in weather research with the debut of the Bharat Forecasting System (BFS) on May 26, 2025. Designed by IITM Pune and powered by the sophisticated supercomputer Arka, BFS provides the world's most exact weather forecasts with a 6 km resolution, making it a game changer.

What is Bharat Forecasting System?

The Bharat Forecast System is a revolutionary weather prediction model. It forecasts future weather conditions. It was developed by Indian scientists. Parthasarathy Mukhopadhayay was one of the primary scientists involved in this project.

Name	Bharat Forecast System (BFS)
Launched by	Union Earth Sciences Ministry, Government of India
Powered by	Arka Supercomputer at IITM, Pune
Supercomputer Capacity	11.77 Petaflops (Speed), 33 Petabytes (Storage)
Replaces	Older system based on Pratyush Supercomputer
Forecast Resolution	6 km x 6 km (Earlier it was 12 km x 12 km)
Main Purpose	To give better and faster weather predictions
Technology Used	Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML)
Radar Integration	40 Doppler Weather Radars (Plan to increase to 100)
Nowcast Feature	Gives very short-term 2-hour weather forecast
Coverage Area	Tropical regions (30°S to 30°N), including all of India
Open Access	Data available to researchers globally for free
Partner Organizations	ISRO (INSAT, IRS), UK Met Office, other international bodies
Helps In	Disaster warnings, agriculture planning, water management, public safety

Key Features:

Highest Resolution: With a 6 km grid size, BFS provides very fine-level weather predictions, so even small towns and villages receive personalized forecasts.
Fast Processing: With the Arka supercomputer, BFS can complete forecasts in just four hours.
Tropical Focus: The system is specifically built for the tropical region located between 30° South and 30° North latitude, which includes India. This region's weather is incredibly dynamic and varied, and BFS is designed to manage it.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are used to increase forecast accuracy and eliminate errors.
Open Access for Scientists: Unlike many global models, BFS allows scientists all over the world to access and use its data for research.

How will it improve weather predictions?

Better Forecast Resolution: The Bharat Forecast System (BFS) forecasts weather for 6-kilometer-square grids. This is an improvement over previous models, which forecast weather for larger 12 km x 12 km sectors. Smaller grid sizes result in more precise and accurate local forecasts.
BFS uses data from 40 Doppler weather radars situated throughout India. These radars capture real-time weather data such as rainfall, wind, and storms, allowing BFS to make precise forecasts.
Expansion of Radar Network: The number of Doppler radars will progressively rise to 100. This expansion will enable the BFS to deliver nowcasts (short-term weather forecasts for the next two hours) across the country.
Focus on the Tropical Region: BFS offers high-resolution forecasts for the tropical region between 30 degrees South and 30 degrees North. The system is well-suited to India's climate, which ranges between 8.4 degrees and 37.6 degrees North latitude.

Source: The Hindu

Question Paper:

Q. The Bharat Forecasting System, launched by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), is aimed at enhancing weather prediction accuracy. It is being developed at which of the following locations?

A) Bengaluru
B) New Delhi
C) Pune
D) Hyderabad

Answer:
C) Pune