About Early Warning Devices viz Doppler Weather Radars (DWRs) and Automatic Weather Stations (AWS)

  

Below is an article from today’s The Statesman that underscores many of the key issues we at 'SaveTheHills' (STH) have been tirelessly raising, writing about, and advocating for over many years:

 

The information about DWRs which I have been able to garner from the internet is as under:

 

As per the above information there are 10 DWRs in the Western Himalayas (RED dots) and ONLY 3 DWRs in the Eastern region (GREEN dots). In this connection, there maybe some conventional (non DWR) older type weather radars about which I could not get information. These will be replaced by DWRs by 2026.
The above information is reproduced below in a map form:

 

Many years ago, I attended an IMD workshop at Baluatar in Gangtok, where I raised the need of a DWR in the Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalayas. I was told that then that a DWR had been earmarked for Sikkim by IMD but as can be seen nothing materialized over the years and now a DWR is being installed in Malda (W Bengal) which will certainly give adequate inputs/warning for North Bengal but may not be effective for the mountainous regions because of signal loss and shadowing.
In this regard, Nepal has 3 weather radars but I could not locate their data and Bhutan has none.
About IMD Automatic Weather Station website
I have already partly covered this in my blog of yesterday but if you try and access the IMD AWS site (http://aws.imd.gov.in:8091/internal/login.php) today, you will be greeted with this sign

 

Whereas just a few months ago, the IMD AWS information for the whole country was freely available for anyone, now it is 'internal information' only available to IMD or government officials.
Each state has a separate password to gain access to weather data of the state.

With the inputs which I have given you, please read 'The Statesman' article again and wonder which direction our early warning systems for the mountains are pointing.

Praful Rao
SaveTheHills
savethehills@gmail.com
9475033744

A Citizens' Initiative: Re -installing a DAVIS VANTAGE VUE AWS (automatic weather station) at Kurseong (Darjeeling District).

Kurseong is a small town in Darjeeling district, which besides the DHR chugging right thru its length, its myriad tea gardens which almost throttle the town, the famous educational institutions many of which are alas in decline, Kurseong also has the HEAVIEST RAINFALL in the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalaya.
Realizing this SaveTheHills (STH) had installed a DAVIS Vantage Pro 2 AWS, at our staunch member Mr SachinTamang's home at Sudhapa Tol, Kurseong. The equipment gifted to us by a group of UK scientists in 2016, worked well but went way beyond economic repair (remember STH is group of volunteers and funds are ALWAYS scarce 😊?).

WHY DAVIS AWS instead of much cheaper options now available?
Simply because it is a world class equipment which STH has used for almost 10 years and now we have a small network of DAVIS AWS in the Darjeeling- Sikkim region over which we can monitor real time weather information of the region (see map below).
Over the years, STH also has developed technical experience of the equipment and system to trouble shoot much of the minor problems locally and avoid costly travel expenses of bringing in company engineers from Delhi.
In this regard, Sikkim has a humungous number of DAVIS Vantage Vue and some Vantage Pro models the outputs of which are not available to the public. I wonder why?
Also please recollect that from a few months ago, IMD has made their AWS data pass-word protected for each state - I fail to understand why weather data must now be locked up like military secrets!
The HImalayas are extremely prone to violent, extreme weather , the frequency of which are only increasing. In this scenario, I request the IMD to rethink their policy of locking up weather data behind passwords rather than making them available to the public and researchers.

Re- Installation of DAVIS Vantage Vue AWS at Kurseong on 06Aug2025: funding source.
This would not have been  possible without the direct intervention of Ms Jyotsna Sitling (IFS), of Kalimpong who has known about our work for many years.
Early this year, I was delighted to receive her call and informing me that she would donate some funds to STH.
I suggested that perhaps an AWS at Kurseong?? if it fitted her budget??? (Cost of the equipment can be checked with the distributor in Delhi or from me privately).
Despite the stiff cost, she gave me the go ahead straight away. We re-installed the DAVIS AWS at Kurseong again 0n 06Aug2025

Unboxing and checking the AWS at Kalimpong before installation

STH Member Rohan Rao setting up the Vantage Vue AWS at Sudhapa Tol,
Kurseong on 06Aug2025

Screenshot from my phone at 7.26am this morning. Shows all 5 AWS in our region. The newly installed AWS at Kurseong is tick marked in RED at the bottom of the page. The AWS data is updated almost 2-3mins so the info available is always REAL TIME.

How to access the data

1. Download and install the DAVIS WeatherLink app ( from Google Playstore). You may have to sign up after download.

2. Search for the AWS in our region using keywords like
'STH AWS'  ,  'Kalimpong' , 'BSA AWS',  'Todey', 'Pedong' , 'STH Kurseong NEW' , 'Darjeeling'

3. Once you get the appropriate station add it your list by clicking on the green drop down menu.
DAVIS (Weatherlink) has a worldwide network so you can check the realtime weather data of any of the stations (which are online) anywhere in the world.

DEEP GRATITUDE
STH wishes to express our deep gratitude to Dr Jyotsna Sitling (IFS) for donating the AWS equipment.

My personal thanks to Sachin bhai of Sudhapa Tol, Kurseong for allowing us to use his premises for the STH Kurseong AWS for many years now.

Thanks to Rohan who is our self taught trouble shooting agent.

APOLOGIES
I would like to apologize to all our readers for the silence in this blog since Apr2025. It was because I had severe health issues which kept me away from work and from this region for a prolonged period. I am still in the process of recouping as such my posts may be irregular.

Praful Rao
SaveTheHills
savethehills@gmail.com
9475033744