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How India’s independent weathermen are taking the internet by storm
- The predictions of independent weather forecasters are sought after by Indians ranging from students and farmers to wedding planners
- India’s meteorological department has often been ridiculed because of its wrong weather predictions and briefings full of jargon
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
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Every morning at 4am, Srikanth K pores over satellite images, maps, charts, and weather models released by different global forecast systems and India’s meteorological department.
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Over the next two hours, the 50-year-old gives out the day’s weather update for his hometown Chennai in his blog “Chennairains”. Throughout the day, he is flooded with numerous queries on the weather from students, farmers and housewives to wedding planners.
“People want personalised answers for their queries,” Srikanth, who has more than 173,000 followers on X, told This Week In Asia. “I explain the weather to people in simple terms to ensure they are not only aware of what is happening in the environment but also informed on weather abnormalities.”
Independent weather forecasters like Srikanth and cloud chasers have grown in popularity amid disruptions to India’s four seasons owing to climate change. Their views on the weather are sought after by ordinary Indians due to their relatively accurate weather predictions and explanations of climate challenges in layman’s terms.
Traditional weather forecasting by India’s meteorological department has often been ridiculed because of its wrong predictions and briefings full of jargon that ordinary citizens cannot understand.
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