Despite considerable technological advances , Indian agriculture is still subject vagaries of the weather . The short - range forecasts though useful for certain applications , are inadequate for planning weather based agricultural practices because the reaction time required for implementing the precautionary measures is longer . Information on impending weather three to ten days in advance is vital to ensure optimum effectiveness of modern farming practices e.g. sowing of weather sensitive high yield variety of seeds , need based application of fertilizers , pesticides , insecticides , efficient irrigation and harvest planning . Therefore , the need for forecasts in the medium range is meant to help enhance agricultural production .Weather forecast for a week or so is also important for many activities other than agriculture , like long distance transportation , tourism , water management , hydra electric generation , weather sensitive industrial production etc.