The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has set up 50 weather observatory stations across tea plantation areas in the Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts in an effort to improve weather forecasting in remote areas that will also help the tea industry.

These stations have been strategically installed in the foothills of the Dooars region — bordering Assam, Bhutan and the Kalimpong hills — to ensure more precise and localised weather data collection.

Gopinath Raha, the spokesperson of the IMD, said: “The new weather stations will collect vital data on rainfall, humidity and temperature, which is crucial not only for flood preparedness but also for the tea industry.”

The initiative is part of the IMD’s 150th anniversary celebrations, which began last year.

Of the 50 planned stations, 30 were set up last year while the remaining ones were made operational in March this year.

Until recently, weather updates in the region were largely limited to major towns and cities.

The new observatories aim to cover remote areas in the tea belt.

“These stations will now cover previously neglected areas, offering accurate and real-time data that is valuable not just for tea estates but for broader agricultural planning as well,” Raha added.

Amitangshu Chakraborty, the convener of the Consultative Committee for Planters Association (CCPA), welcomed the initiative.

“Accurate data on rainfall and humidity is crucial for tea plantations. These weather stations will be a major help for planters in the region,” Chakraborty said.

Sources at the IMD said plans were afoot to set up 10 additional weather stations in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong hill areas.