Union Minister of Earth Sciences, Dr Harsh Vardhan on December 29, 2020 virtually inaugurated India’s highest Meteorological Centre in Leh.
- After Itanagar Centre in Arunachal Pradesh, Leh Met centre at 3500 meters highest from mean sea level is the highest in the Himalayan region.
- The new Centre will provide Ladakh specific weather forecasts more accurately and consistently for the region.
- The Ladakh region has lofty mountains with high slopes and no vegetation and lot of loose soil and debris making the region vulnerable to various kinds of natural hazards like Cloud burst (of 2010), Flash Floods, Avalanches and Glacial Lake Outbursts, etc.
- To avert losses due to such weather events in future, the Government felt the need to establish a State of the Art Meteorological (Met) Centre at Leh in 2020 to strengthen weather related Early Warning System in Ladakh.
- Located at a height of 3500m, Meteorological Centre Leh is creating history, as it will be the highest meteorological centre in India.
