Bharat Forecast System (BFS)

Bharat Forecast System (BFS): Recently, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) received the Bharat Forecast System (BFS), developed by IITM Pune.

• About BFS: Under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, the Bharat Forecast System (BFS) is a deterministic, high-resolution weather model designed to provide more accurate forecasts for localized weather events.

o While existing models like the Coupled Forecasting System (CFS) and Global Forecasting System (GFS) operate at a 12 km by 12 km resolution, BFS offers a much finer spatial resolution of 6 km by 6 km.

o This allows weather predictions to be made for smaller 36 sq. km grids instead of the previous 144 sq. km units.

oI MD plans to operationalize BFS starting with the upcoming monsoon season, significantly enhancing its ability to forecast extreme weather events.