How weather forecasting is useful

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Module VI Weather Forecasting
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

After successful completion of 5 Lessons in this
Module, you have learned to answer

• How weather forecasting is useful?
• What is the aim of weather forecasting?
• What is weather forecasting?
• How weather is predicted?
• How reliable is this weather forecasting?
• What types of weather forecasting exists?
• How to get information on weather forecasts?
• How simple techniques help in predicting weather?

Course on Crop-Weather Relationships
2
Module VI Weather Forecasting
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

The 5 Lessons in this Module are

• Lesson 1 Importance of Weather Forecasting
• Lesson 2 About Weather Forecasting
• Lesson 3 Types of Weather Forecasting
• Lesson 4 Weather Forecasting Resources
• Lesson 5 Simple Techniques to Forecast Weather

Course on Crop-Weather Relationships
3

• After successful completion of this Lesson, you
  have learned to answer
• I am a farmer. Where can I get the information on
  weather forecasting?
• What is Farmers Weather Bulletin?
• What information Farmers Weather Bulletin
  contain?
• What is Agro-meteorological Advisory Service?
  
• What information Agro-meteorological Advisories
  contain?
• What is Agricultural Meteorology Division?
• What information Agricultural Meteorology
  Division provides?

4

• I am a farmer. Where can I get the
  information on weather forecasting?
• Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) provides
  the following services for the farmers and for
  those who are interested in agriculture
• Farmers Weather Bulletins
• Agro-meteorological Advisory Service
• Agricultural Meteorology Division

5

• What is Farmers Weather Bulletin?
• Farmers Weather Bulletins (FWB) are issued for
  broadcast in different regional languages through
  All India Radio stations in the evening programs.
• A second bulletin is issued for broadcast in the
  morning during the rainy season.
• The bulletins are also published in newspapers.

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• What information Farmers Weather Bulletin
  contain?
• A summary of past weather,
• District forecast of weather during the next 48
  hours
• Special weather warnings for cyclonic storms,
  etc.,
• An outlook for the subsequent two days on the
  onset of rains, probable rainfall intensity and
  duration, weak or a break in monsoon conditions,
  occurrence of frost, hail, squalls, and other
  conditions.
• Warnings of conditions such as heavy rainfall and
  low temperature that are injurious to plants.

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• What is Agro-meteorological Advisory Service?
• Agro-meteorological Advisory Service provides
  Agro-meteorological Advisories prepared by IMD
  twice a week in consultation with agricultural
  experts of the State Agricultural Departments.
• The Agro-meteorological Advisory Service is
  functioning at 17 IMD centers located mostly at
  State Capitals.

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• What information Agro-meteorological Advisories
  contain?
• Information on past and expected weather
• Specific advice to farmers on what agricultural
  operations they may undertake in the context of
  these weather conditions.
• The agro-meteorological advisories are very
  useful to farmers for scheduling of irrigation to
  save water, and choosing the optimum timing for
  spraying of pesticides, application of
  fertilizers, etc.

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• What is Agricultural Meteorology Division ?
• Agricultural Meteorology Division of IMD is
  located in Pune.
• It maintains a network of agro meteorological
  observatories across the country with the
  cooperation of agricultural universities and
  research institutions.
• The Division provides technical assistance to the
  cooperating institutions for site selection,
  training of personnel, calibration of instruments
  and their maintenance, scrutiny of data, etc.

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• What information Agricultural Meteorology
  Division provides?
• The Agricultural Meteorology Division prepares
  crop weather calendars.
• These calendars depict the state and stage of the
  crop under normal weather conditions and the
  weather elements detrimental to the crops in
  various growth stages.
• The crop weather calendars are periodically
  revised as new crop varieties are introduced and
  cropping patterns undergo changes.

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• Where can I get the information on weather
  forecasting?
• Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) provides
  the information on many features of weather for
  many places in India.
• You can get weather information from the
  following IMD web site
• http//www.imd.ernet.in/main new.htm
• Click on the above web site and find out the
  details of available weather information.

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• Where can I get the information on weather
  forecasting?
• There are other Internet sites which can provide
  the weather forecasting for cities and town in
  many countries.
• For example, the following site provides weather
  forecasting for many countries even on hourly
  basis
• http//wwwa.accuweather.com/world-city-list2.asp?
  countryINregionASIpartneraccuweathergo.x18
  go.y11
• Click on the above web site and find out the
  details of weather information in many towns and
  cities in India.

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Module VI Weather Forecasting
Virtual Academy for the Semi Arid Tropics

This concludes Lesson 4 Weather Forecasting
Resources - in this Module. The last Lesson in
this module is about simple techniques for
weather forecasting. Select Lesson 5 from Module
VI contents
Course on Crop-Weather Relationships