PNS
Ranchi
A major breakthrough for India Meteorological Department (IMD) campus in Ranchi which will give a rain report based on a state-of-the-art disdrometer instrument which was installed on Friday at the Center. This is the first advanced instrument of its kind in the Jharkhand region.
It is an important initiative towards studying the microphysical characteristics of rainfall and achieving high-resolution precipitation extent.
This move represents a crucial step in expanding India’s modern, high-resolution rainfall observation network and promoting a better analysis of the microphysical processes involved in rainfall.
A disdrometer is a weather instrument used to measure the size distribution, speed, and physical type of falling precipitation particles like rain, snow, and hail. This helps in understanding not only the total volume of rainfall but also its microstructure and nature.
The installation was carried out by scientists Dr Ambuj Kumar Jha and Rohit Patil (Project Scientist) from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, with significant support from IMD Ranchi. Dr Baburaj (Head Scientist, IMD Ranchi), Senior Scientist Abhishek Anand, and other officials were present on the occasion.
This installation is part of a disdrometer network being developed across India under IITM Pune’s ART project—a key initiative operating under the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ “Mission Mausam.” The network aims to study the microstructure and microphysical characteristics of rainfall across the country’s diverse climatic zones, thereby helping to make weather forecasting and rainfall analysis more effective.
The Ranchi and Jharkhand region experiences widespread and sometimes intense rainfall due to low-pressure systems originating in the Bay of Bengal and monsoon systems. Convective rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms also plays a significant role in the region. The disdrometer will enable the study of variations in rainfall structure during these diverse precipitation events.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ambuj Kumar Jha said that the installation of the disdrometer would further strengthen rainfall observation capabilities in Ranchi and the surrounding areas, while also giving a new direction to regional weather research. Notably, the data obtained will assist in radar-based rainfall estimation and observation, as well as in the evaluation and improvement of weather forecasting models, he added.
