Krishna Mishra

Forecaster and researcher studying how Western Disturbances, the monsoon and large-scale climate modes combine to produce extreme rainfall over India.

About

I am a Scientist at the India Meteorological Department with eight years of operational weather forecasting experience, from nowcasting to short- and medium-range forecasts of tropical cyclones, heat waves and monsoonal heavy rainfall. I also train intermediate, middle and advanced level forecasters.

My research focuses on extreme precipitation over Northwest India and the Western Himalayas: the synoptic, dynamical and thermodynamic setup of high-impact events, and how Western Disturbances connect with the monsoon, the MJO and the NAO.

Research areas

Understanding, and better forecasting, the events that bring the heaviest rain and snow.

Current work

In the media

I am regularly quoted on weather and forecasts in India's national newspapers, and brief television channels on the monsoon.

Publications

Journal articles

1. Kant S, Mishra K, Jenamani RK, … Kumar V (2026). Assessment of intense precipitation over Northwest India during 05th–09th January, 2022. MAUSAM.
2. Kant S, Mishra K, Kumar N, et al. (2026). Assessment of wet spell over Northwest India during the first week of March 2024. MAUSAM.
3. Mishra K, Kant S, Hunt KMR, Kumar V (2026). Assessment of extreme rainfall events over Northwest India in the second week of July 2023. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics.
4. Mohapatra M, Chauhan A, Varshney A, et al. (2023). Short to medium range impact based forecasting of heavy rainfall in India. MAUSAM.
5. Mishra K, Kumar N, Mohapatra M (2022). Diagnosis of potent winter weather phenomenon over South Asia during 11–13 January 2020. Journal of Climatology & Weather Forecasting.
6. Sen Roy S, Sharma P, Sen B, … Mohapatra M (2021). A new paradigm for short-range forecasting of severe weather over the Indian region. Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics.
7. Mohapatra M, Kumar N, Mishra K, Devi S (2021). Evaluation of heavy rainfall warnings of India National Weather Forecasting Service for monsoon season (2002–2018). Journal of Earth System Science.
8. Mishra K, Sharma M, Mohapatra M (2021). Performance of numerical weather prediction models in predicting track of recurving cyclone Vayu over Arabian Sea during June 2019. Journal of Earth System Science.

Preprints

1. Mishra K, Kumar V (2026). Dynamics of intense Western Disturbance over Northwest India during February 2025.
2. Mishra K, Kumar V (2026). Monsoonal extreme precipitation over Northwest Himalayas during 1988–2020: synoptic, dynamical & thermodynamical diagnosis.
3. Kant S, Kumar N, Mishra K, … Kumar V (2025). Thunderstorm activity over Delhi during summer 2025: Part I – observational and thermodynamic characteristics.

Reports & posters

1. Mishra K, Devi S (2022). Comparative analysis of 2013 & 2021 Southwest Monsoon advance over India. Poster.
2. Mishra K (2022). Exceptional rainfall activity over plains of Northwest India during May, 2021. Poster.
3. Devi S, Mishra K, Singh SP, et al. (2022). Regional characteristics of the 2019 Southwest Monsoon. Technical report.
4. Mishra K (2022). Brief report on intense rainfall/snowfall spell over Northwest India during 05th–09th January, 2022. Technical report.
5. Mishra K, Kumar N (2022). Severe weather report (fog, cold wave & cold day) during December 2019. Technical report.