Telangana's Weather Forecast Hero

 Meet T. Balaji, a civil engineer by qualification and a weather enthusiast by passion. Known widely as the Telangana Weatherman, Balaji has emerged as the most trusted source for weather forecasts in the state — a feat that began with a childhood fascination for clouds and rainfall.

“In school, I developed a lot of interest in geography, especially in weather, climate change and atmospheric sciences. These chapters fascinated me, and I became curious about how monsoons work and how weather can be tracked,” shares Balaji, who recently completed his engineering course.

His turning point came during the pandemic. “I was in intermediate at the time and had some free time. In 2020, Hyderabad received very heavy rainfall and there were floods across Telangana. That year pushed me to study weather seriously. I read countless articles and learned to use global weather models, and also began observing the sky — cloud shapes, wind direction — everything,” he says.

His method today blends science with intuition. “I use various global weather models and basic machine learning for my forecasts. But I also rely on my intelligence and experience.”

How did this interest develop? “In the past, weather forecasts were often unreliable. It would rain when sunshine was predicted and vice versa. I wanted to change that — to give people something they could actually depend on. When farmers thank me for helping them protect their crops, that’s my biggest reward.”

Thanks to his commitment, Balaji was recently selected for an exchange programme called Climate Crisis for Weather Influencers, where he got to study how both the US and Indian governments are addressing climate change.