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Sometime around the second week of May 2025, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), locked up its Automatic Weather Station/Automatic Rain Gauge (AWS/ARG) portal for the public. This has significantly hampered the work of independent weather analysts, bloggers and enthusiasts who had been using this data for localised weather analysis and even providing weather forecasts/alerts through social media platforms, especially on X (formally Twitter).
“It was around June 2025 when we realised that the AWS portal was no longer accessible”, Rushikesh Agre, an independent weather analyst from Maharashtra who runs the profile Mumbai Rains on X told Down To Earth (DTE). Agre has 109,000 followers on X and does most of his weather analysis for Maharashtra. “This was quite a significant change because the portal had always been a highly credible and reliable source of real time rainfall and weather data,” added Agre.
Other independent weather analysts and enthusiasts also echo similar thoughts about the issue. Biswajit Sahoo, a research scholar at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and a meteorologist at WeatherCast Solutions, realised that the AWS/ARG portal was locked during Operation Sindoor conducted by the Indian armed forces against Pakistan in May.
“At that time, my first thought was that it might be due to security purposes. But later, they permanently closed access to the AWS portal,” Sahoo told DTE. He runs the profile Odisha Weatherman on X with following of over 8,000. He has observed that some other IMD infrastructure in Odisha is not working properly. “In Odisha out of 2 Doppler weather radar, one radar (Gopalpur radar) is not working since past 8 months. It is quite surprising that they haven’t issued any statement about when it will be active again,” he said.
Ashwary Tiwari, a meteorology enthusiast since the age of six who runs the IndiaMetSky Weather profile on X, informs that along with the AWS/ARG portal, IMD also locked up its other instruments and data sources such as the Real-time Analysis of Product and Information Dissemination (RAPID) tool and Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) network during the conflict around May 10.
“They unblocked the DWRs by May end. However, RAPID and AWS and few other stuff remains blocked,” said Tiwari. He is based out of Delhi and provides forecasts for North India, parts of western and eastern India and has a special interest in tropical cyclones. He has almost 16,000 followers on X.
Ravi Keerthi, an independent weather analyst from Mysuru, Karnataka, filed a Right To Information (RTI) query with the IMD in May regarding their locking of the AWS portal. He has around 12,700 followers on X and provides analysis and alerts mainly for Karnataka.
IMD responded saying that “as per the policy of India Meteorological Department and policy guidelines issued by the competent authority, access to the AWS website has been restricted to designated users from Regional Meteorological Centre/ Meteorological Centre.” The weather agency further added that “the data and forecasts can be obtained directly from the data supply portal https:/dsp.imdpune.gov.in of India Meteorological Department (IMD) & the applicant may procure data on payment (if any) in online mode only.”
Keerthi told DTE: “After the AWS website was restricted we were not able to get any real time data. So it is made purposefully to hinder the data outreach of weather bloggers like us.” He further highlighted that “It is our tax money which they are using to build weather infrastructure.” He also pointed out that he was asking for real time data for his analysis and questioned the point of buying it later when it is of no use for real time forecasting.
Keerthi made a second RTI query in September regarding guidelines for access to the data on AWS/ARG portal. IMD responded in early October highlighting concerns such as “Data Sensitivity: AWS data contains detailed meteorological observations. Unrestricted access could lead to misuse or misinterpretation, especially in commercial contexts; and Commercial Use Prohibited: IMD does not permit the use of AWS data for any commercial purposes.”
IMD also laid out the procedure for getting access to the data. They asked for the “purpose, scope and intended use of the data” and informed that “only genuine, purpose-driven requests are considered.”
All four weather analysts used IMD’s data sources regularly and are now finding it difficult to get real time data for their analysis and localised forecasts.
“It was one of the most credible and transparent data sources, providing accurate station-level updates that helped us validate and interpret local weather conditions,” said Agre. “The AWS portal was quite helpful during thunderstorm days as it provided information about rainfall amounts and wind gusts. It was also useful on other days for data like minimum and maximum temperatures. This information was very helpful in interpreting weather dynamics and providing more accurate information to farmers in real time,” informed Sahoo. “I used to look up at AWS and Rapid products nearly daily as they helped in checking various satellite products and AWS used to keep me in check with temperature and humidity and with storm wind speeds in pre-monsoons,” said Tiwari.
The weather analysts and forecasters have been forced to refer to other sources of data which are generally less credible, often not as widespread or is not regularly updated. “Currently, we’re referring to alternative government-backed sources like Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) data and other platforms that record rainfall through rain gauges. Some of these include flood.in and Tropmet, which provide real-time or near real-time rainfall intensity data,” Agre told DTE. He pointed out that such data is only available for select stations.
Sahoo highlighted that they are now also referring to global sources of weather data which are mostly private organisations such as Zomato and WeatherCast Solutions station data where he works. But there are issues with this data. “Getting AWS data is difficult as third party sources like Weatherunion by Zomato and other private weather stations are being used, and they don’t communicate information and parameters properly sometimes,” said Tiwari.
“It is difficult to get the right temperature and humidity, wind and barometer products. The alternatives are there but they are not often super reliable. IMD is giving basic information from manual observatories and some AWS. But it is available on their city pages; but many times, the data is not updated,” added Tiwari.
“IMD is the official agency maintaining the most reliable network. So, when their data isn’t publicly accessible, it limits the precision of localised studies,” said Agre. He also explained the significance of station level data: “Access to station-level data helps us identify localised weather patterns, especially short-duration thunderstorms and heavy rain bursts. It’s also essential for tracking cumulative rainfall and understanding micro-climate variations within cities like Mumbai.”
“During sudden thunderstorm formation, we could get early indications by observing station level pressure drops and wind patterns. This helped predict thunderstorm events in nearby areas,” said Sahoo. He also questions the move to block access to the data and pointed out the access provided to such data around the world.
“If you look at the automated weather station data that we previously accessed on the IMD portal, it only showed the values in plots. There was no option to download data in CSV, Excel, or any other format. So, on what basis was it blocked?” Sahoo asks. “We talk about public-private collaborative approaches. But is it really happening in India? No. Many global companies, both private and government, provide public access to such data — so why are we not doing the same?”
He also talked about the reasons behind IMD’s move to block public access to the portal. “There are a few bloggers on social media who use IMD data without giving credit, and at the same time, they question IMD’s forecasts while using its data. I think this may be one of the reasons behind locking the portal,” said Sahoo. All the weather analysts that DTE spoke with want the data portal to be reopened for public access, explaining the significance of this data and their analysis for public good.
“The data in question isn’t sensitive; it’s just rainfall accumulation and related readings. Making it public again would promote transparency, help independent analysts and researchers contribute better insights, and ultimately benefit the public through more accurate and real-time weather communication,” said Agre.
“IMD should keep the data open to the public, because in today’s generation, real-time weather information is extremely helpful for better understanding. People would also develop more interest in weather if they had access to at least 24-hour real-time data,” said Sahoo.
“For example, if a thunderstorm is happening nearby and a weather station detects gusty winds, weather bloggers can issue early forecasts. Since it’s not possible for IMD to cover all areas at once, private weather bloggers play a vital role. I believe that if there were a collaborative approach between IMD and private weather bloggers, India’s weather forecasting landscape could become far better than that of many other countries,” he added.