The India Meteorological Department has opened a portal that allows the public to share details about weather events in their surroundings.
Weather enthusiasts can report specific local weather events, such as rain, hailstorm or fog, in their area through the webpage https:// city.imd.gov.in/ citywx/ crowd/ enter_th_ datag.php.
The Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, has provided a link to the portal on its website.
Officials said the portal, launched at the national level, had the provision for people from various places to report local weather phenomenon. Members of the public can upload photographs and share details about the damage caused in their area.
Better coverage
S. Balachandran, Deputy Director-General of Meteorology, Chennai, said crowdsourcing the details would help in collating weather data, especially from places that did not have observatories. For instance, a few districts, such as Ranipet, did not have a weather observatory and public participation would help…