New Delhi, June 2 (IANS): Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan on Tuesday inaugurated a 'high performance' computing facility at NCMRWF that will improve the country's weather forecasting capabilities.

Claiming that the supercomputer named 'Bhaskara' has placed India in the league of the US and European countries, Harsh Vardhan said: "Our facilities for predicting weather are world-class. But what we are adding today is a landmark achievement."

"This is technologically superior to what China and the UK have and matches Europe and the US," he added.

Housed in the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (NCMRWF) in Sector 62, Noida, adjacent to Delhi, Bhaskara is part of the Earth System Science Organisation of the ministry of earth sciences that will considerably enhance prediction capabilities like tropical cyclones, heavy rainfall events, cloud burst events and monsoon, using very high resolution regional models.

"The reliability of weather forecasting is gradually improving now. In coming years it will improve further with development of new technologies and its effective use," Harsh Vardhan said.