Telangana rains: What do IMD’s green, red, orange, yellow alerts say about weather conditions?

Hyderabad: Heavy rainfall has been lashing the State for the last few days with the India Meteorological Department issuing colour-coded alerts – green, yellow, orange, or red – in many regions. So, what are these colour codes, why are they used, and what do they signify? Why are colour codes used? The IMD issues colour […]

Hyderabad: Heavy rainfall has been lashing the State for the last few days with the India Meteorological Department issuing colour-coded alerts – green, yellow, orange, or red – in many regions. So, what are these colour codes, why are they used, and what do they signify?

Why are colour codes used?

The IMD issues colour codes in weather warnings to alert people ahead of severe or hazardous weather which has the potential to cause damage, widespread disruption, or danger to life.

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How is the colour forecast decided?

According to the weather agency, a special matrix is followed to decide the colour of weather situations. It is based on the “probability of occurrence of the event as well as its impact assessment”. The decision of the colour also depends on the meteorological, hydrological, and geophysical factors that indicate the risk.

The IMD uses four colour codes:

Green – No Action is needed

Yellow – Watch and stay updated

Orange – Be prepared

Red – Take action

These alerts are universal and are also issued during floods, depending on the amount of water rising above land/in a river as a result of torrential rainfall. For instance, when the water in a river is ‘above normal’ level, or between the ‘warning’ and ‘danger’ levels, a yellow alert is issued.

While this is the general interpretation of these colours, for more specific weather events such as rainfall, thunderstorm, lightning, etc these colours point out more warning.

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