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IMD — India Meteorological Department

India's official source for weather, climate, and rainfall data — going back to 1901 for gridded rainfall.

Provider
India Meteorological Department (IMD)
Website
mausam.imd.gov.in
Access Level
🟡 Registration for gridded data; some free
Formats Available
NetCDF (.nc), ASCII grid, CSV, PDF reports
Coverage
All India — 0.25° grid (~28km × 28km cells)
Time Period
Rainfall: 1901–2023 | Temperature: 1969–present

What IMD Provides

Dataset Resolution Period Format Access
Gridded Daily Rainfall 0.25° 1901–2023 NetCDF 🟡 Registration
Gridded Monthly Rainfall 0.25° 1901–2023 NetCDF 🟡 Registration
District Monthly Rainfall District 1901–2023 CSV 🟡 Registration
Weather Station Data Point 1960–present CSV 🟡 Registration
Cyclone Best Track Point/Line 1890–present CSV/Shapefile 🟢 Free
Drought Atlas District 1870–present PDF 🟢 Free
Seasonal Forecasts State Seasonal PDF 🟢 Free

How to Access IMD Data

Method 1: IMD Open Data Portal 🟡

  1. Go to mausam.imd.gov.in
  2. Navigate to "Climate Data" → "Data Online"
  3. Register with your name, institution, and purpose
  4. After login: search for your dataset → Add to cart → Download

Available at mausam.imd.gov.in: - Daily/monthly gridded rainfall (NetCDF) - Station-level observational data (CSV) - Extreme events database

Method 2: CHIRPS Rainfall (No Login — Alternative) 🟢

If IMD registration is slow, CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data) provides high-quality alternative rainfall data for India:

  • Resolution: 0.05° (~5.5 km) — much finer than IMD gridded
  • Period: 1981–present
  • Access: Free, no login
  • Source: chc.ucsb.edu/data/chirps

Or access via Google Earth Engine (free): 

// GEE JavaScript — CHIRPS Monthly Rainfall for India
var chirps = ee.ImageCollection("UCSB-CHG/CHIRPS/PENTAD")
  .filterDate('2023-06-01', '2023-09-30')  // Monsoon 2023
  .filterBounds(ee.Geometry.Rectangle([68, 8, 97, 37]));  // India bbox

var totalRain = chirps.sum();  // Total Jun-Sep rainfall

Map.centerObject(ee.Geometry.Point([78, 22]), 5);
Map.addLayer(totalRain, {min: 0, max: 2000, palette: ['white','blue','darkblue']},
             'Monsoon Rainfall 2023 (mm)');

Method 3: District Monthly Rainfall CSV 🟡

For district-level analysis without handling NetCDF:

  1. Register at mausam.imd.gov.in
  2. Download "District-wise Monthly Rainfall" CSV
  3. Each row: State, District, Year, Month, Rainfall (mm)

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