India is exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance climate model building and weather forecasting as the nation grapples with the increasing frequency of floods, droughts, and torrential rains, according to a Reuters report.

What Happened? Global warming has led to increased extreme weather occurrences in India, with nearly 3,000 lives claimed this year alone, as per the independent Centre for Science and Environment. Weather agencies worldwide are turning to AI for its potential to decrease costs and increase efficiency in weather forecasting.

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Accurate weather forecasts are of critical importance in India, with its large population and status as the world’s second-largest producer of rice, wheat, and sugar. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) currently uses supercomputers for forecast generation based on mathematical models. The integration of AI with an expanded observation network could provide high-quality forecast data more cost-effectively.

Future forward: The IMD anticipates that the AI-based climate models being developed will significantly improve weather forecasts, said K.S. Hosalikar, the head of climate research and services at IMD. The department already uses AI to generate public alerts regarding heatwaves and diseases such as malaria and plans to increase weather observatories, offering higher-resolution data for forecasts.

The government has expressed interest in incorporating AI into traditional models to generate weather and climate forecasts and has initiated a centre to test this approach.

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