IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra honoured with Sir Gilbert Walker Award 2025

New Delhi, Nov 18 (PTI) India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra has been conferred the Sir Gilbert Walker Award 2025 by the Indian Meteorological Society (IMS) for his contributions to meteorological science, forecasting innovation and severe weather warning systems.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the IMD said the prestigious award, also known as the Sir Gilbert Walker Gold Medal, recognises lifetime achievements in discovering new atmospheric phenomena, advancing scientific understanding of weather processes and developing services that benefit society.

Mohapatra, the IMD's Director General of Meteorology, has earned the sobriquet of the ‘cyclone man of India’ for modernising India’s cyclone warning system since 2007, leading to a major leap in forecast accuracy and preparedness in cyclone-prone regions.

Born on August 12, 1965, in Odisha's Bhadrak district, Mohapatra worked at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and briefly as a lecturer early in his career.

He joined the IMD in 1992 and rose through the ranks to become its Director General in 2019. He currently also serves as the Third Vice President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Secretary of the WMO–UNESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones, according to the statement.

It said that his contributions include advancements in cyclone prediction, development of indigenous decision-support tools, impact-based forecasting, multi-hazard alerts, and sector-specific weather services.

He led key initiatives such as IMD’s Modernisation Programme (2007–12), WMO’s Severe Weather Forecasting Programme (2016), the South Asia Flash Flood Guidance System (2021) and Mission Mausam (2024). PTI NSM RHL