Recognising the need to enhance weather forecasting capabilities and mitigate the effects of storms and climate change, the Ministry of Communications and Works is establishing a national meteorological service, CW Minister Kye Rymer announced recently in the House of Assembly.
Mr. Rymer said on June 29 that his team met recently with Dr. Ali Lang, coordinating director of the Caribbean Meteorological Organization, to discuss implementing the service here.
“The CMO assists member states in upgrading the national meteorological services and will support us in developing our national meteorological service,” he said.
The Antigua National Meteorological Service currently provides weather forecasts to the Virgin Islands, but the territory’s National Sustainable Development Plan stresses the importance of local efforts to mitigate the effects of severe weather and climate change, Mr. Rymer added.
“Therefore, the Ministry of Communications and Works is developing a national meteorological office to provide efficient and timely movement of meteorological information, which is necessary to provide forecasted data about weather conditions that can affect safety and improve sustainability,” he said.
Floods, hurricanes
The territory is already vulnerable to coastal and marine hazards, Mr. Rymer added, noting that recent events like floods and hurricanes “demonstrate the need to invest in local weather forecasting capabilities to reduce disaster risk.”
He explained that climate change and severe weather affect air and marine transport, tourism, fishing, and agriculture — all of which, in turn, affect the economy.
“An office of national meteorological services in the Virgin Islands would improve weather observation and forecasting, provide data for infrastructure planning, and issue warnings and alerts for hydro-meteorological hazards,” he said. “It will also maintain a historical record and provide relevant advice on national weather, climate, water and environmental data issues for decision-making by the public and private sector.”
The minister didn’t provide a timeframe or other specific information about the planned NMS.