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The Mission of The National Meteorological Service

The National Meteorological Service of Belize is the leading governmental authority on weather, water and climate. It provides meteorological, hydrological and climate-based products and services to the Belizean public through systematic and accurate monitoring and data collection, reliable data analyses and timely dissemination of user-friendly information on regular and emergency events and processes. This is undertaken in order to contribute to the safety and well-being of the people of Belize and the sustainable development of the nation.

To fulfil this mission, the Department maintains a network of hydrological and meteorological observing stations, an upper air observing station along with Weather and Flood Forecasting sections of the Service equipped with telecommunication equipment, workstations and satellite receiving equipment.

The National Meteorological Service is responsible for providing aviation weather information and forecasts, and specialized weather forecasts for agriculture, forestry, marine, military, and tourism. It also provides public weather forecasts for the media, which then distributes via newspapers, radio and television. Forecasts are also distributed by the Meteorological Office by facsimile, e-mail, the department’s website  and recorded telephone messages.

The Chief Meteorologist is a member of the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) and provides advice on hurricanes, floods and other forms of severe weather conditions, which could provoke an emergency. All phases of the National Hurricane Emergency Plan are declared by NEMO, on the advice of the Chief Meteorologist.

The National Meteorological Service is the principal advisor and negotiator for the government on matters related to climate change. The Chief Meteorologist is the focal point for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) . The focal point for the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) also lies at the National Meteorological Service.

The Service serves on several national committees including the National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) which reviews Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)  and the Belize Climate Committee.

Belize is a member of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Regional Association IV of WMO, the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO)  and the Comite Regional de Recursos Hidralicos (CRRH).

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