World Meteorological Day is celebrated annually on March 23. In 2025, it serves as a reminder of the importance of meteorology in safeguarding lives and livelihoods. This global event highlights the role of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) in addressing climate challenges and fostering resilience.
Read on to find out how advancements in meteorology and technology are closing the early warning gap and strengthening climate resilience.
The History Behind World Meteorological Day
Since its inception in 1961, World Meteorological Day has recognised advancements in meteorology and their impact on society. The date marks the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1950, a specialised United Nations agency dedicated to global cooperation in meteorology, hydrology, and climate science.
NMHS play a crucial role in disaster prevention, environmental monitoring, and public safety. Over the decades, this day has been used to raise awareness of issues like climate change, extreme weather, and sustainable resource management. Each year, a theme is chosen to reflect the most pressing climate-related challenges.
Closing the Early Warning Gap Together
The theme for World Meteorological Day 2025, Closing the Early Warning Gap Together, underscores the critical need for effective early warning systems. With climate change driving more frequent and intense weather events, timely alerts can make the difference between preparedness and catastrophe.
The past year has seen record-breaking temperatures, with 2024 confirmed as the hottest year on record. Rising sea levels, intensifying storms, extreme heat waves, and prolonged droughts are placing millions at risk. Can communities afford to be unprepared for the next disaster?
Early warning systems provide essential data to governments, emergency responders, and the public. These alerts allow for evacuation, resource allocation, and disaster risk reduction.
Their importance goes beyond immediate disaster response, offering protection for lives, strengthening climate resilience, and reducing economic losses by preventing damage to agriculture, infrastructure, and businesses. Yet, significant gaps remain, particularly in vulnerable regions with limited access to forecasting tools.
Technological Innovations in Meteorology
Meteorology has evolved significantly since the 19th century, with advancements in satellite technology, climate modeling, and observational networks. Technological progress has greatly enhanced weather forecasting and climate monitoring.
Satellites and radar systems now provide real-time data, significantly improving the accuracy of storm and extreme weather predictions. Beyond severe weather forecasting, satellites also contribute to environmental monitoring, offering insights into drought conditions, vegetation status, and long-term climate trends.
IoT and sensor networks continuously monitor environmental changes, offering real-time insights into shifting weather patterns. In agriculture, for instance, real-time weather monitoring supports precision farming, helping farmers optimise irrigation and reduce crop losses due to weather fluctuations.
Integrating smart devices, sensors, and IoT in agriculture enables real-time data sharing across the supply chain. This allows stakeholders, like farmers and insurance companies, to receive timely information about weather threats and improve decision-making.
AI and machine learning are increasingly used in meteorology to improve forecasting accuracy. These technologies analyse vast amounts of historical and real-time weather data to identify patterns and trends that traditional models might miss. Supercomputers are then used to process this data, creating more accurate and detailed climate projections.
This combination of AI, machine learning, and supercomputing is particularly valuable for long-term climate planning and weather forecasting.
CrackSense: Early Warnings for Fruit Cracking
The CrackSense project, a Horizon Europe initiative, is making significant strides in addressing one of agriculture’s most pressing challenges: fruit cracking. This project uses advanced technology to monitor environmental factors that contribute to fruit cracking, such as temperature, humidity, and soil moisture levels. CrackSense will combine real-time data with satellite and meteorological data to provide farmers with short-term and long-term seasonal forecasts, supporting more effective and data-driven decisions.
Much like meteorological early warning systems, the CrackSense technology helps farmers act before damage occurs, reducing the risk of significant crop loss. This proactive approach is essential in the context of a changing climate, where unpredictable weather patterns can increase the likelihood of fruit cracking.
By providing farmers with timely information, the CrackSense project supports food security and strengthens agricultural resilience, aligning with the broader goals of this year’s World Meteorological Day theme.
Conclusion
As extreme weather events become more frequent, the urgency for reliable early warning systems grows. Governments, organisations, and individuals all have a role to play in improving preparedness and response strategies. Investing in advanced forecasting technology, expanding observational networks, and enhancing cross-border data sharing are key steps.
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References
- IISD. (2025). World Meteorological Day 2025. International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved from https://sdg.iisd.org/events/world-meteorological-day-2025/
- World Meteorological Organization. (n.d.). World Meteorological Day. World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved from https://wmo.int/about-wmo/world-meteorological-day
- World Meteorological Organization. (2025). World Meteorological Day 2025 updates. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/4bW5N3k
- World Meteorological Organization. (2025). World Meteorological Day 2025. World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved from https://wmo.int/site/world-meteorological-day-2025
