World Meteorological Day 2018: Significance, Theme and How is the Day Celebrated

Member states of all meteorological organizations celebrate World Meteorological Day on March 23 every year. Almost 191 meteorological organizations commemorate the annual event. A particular theme is chosen for the commemoration of the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization to keep a constant watch on the weather and climate for the better life and future. The theme for this year is “weather- ready, climate smart”. Awareness about meteorology is one of the important aspects for a sustainable future.

The world has been celebrating this day since 1961. But its entry into the force was on 23rd of March in 1950 in the conference of World Meteorological Organization. The first celebrations were however seen in 1961. The World Meteorological Day was founded by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) which is an intergovernmental organization established for meteorology. It has the membership of 191 worldwide Member States and Territories. The organization became the specialized meteorology agency of the United Nations to operate the weather and climate from one place. It was established in 1951 for keeping a tab on current details about the Earth’s atmospheric behaviour, interactions with the oceans and the resulting climatic conditions.

Why is the World Meteorological Day Celebrated?

The World Meteorological Organization aimed at establishing a big network station to contribute towards the safety and efficiency of the shipping services along with safety and welfare of the people. The organization is also significant with regards to water resources safety, food security and transport. Hydrology research is an extensive part of this organization and a good level of international cooperation is required for giving proper information about the weather. WMO thus acts as a support system for such international cooperation.

World Meteorological Day 2018 Theme

The theme for 2018 Meteorological day is “weather- ready, climate smart.” The WMO and its members support the global agenda on sustainable development, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. It is one of the top priorities to protect lives, livelihoods, and property from weather risks, climate change and water events. With the growing global population, we are at a risk of tropical hazards, heavy rains, droughts phases and many more. So it is the time we actually are weather-ready and climate-smart.

WMO announcing the theme for World Meteorological Day 2018: 

The theme recognizes the role of societies in shaping the nation and also how crucial meteorological services are in strengthening the safety and resilience of communities to weather changes. It captures the need for timely dissemination of relevant information regarding any unexpected weather or climate events.

How is the World Meteorological Day Celebrated?

A variety of programmes and activities are arranged on this day. There are discussions that talk about the achievements of the World Weather Watch and evolutions in the next century. They also talk about the activities in the past, there are conferences, debates on related topics. Community leaders take active part in all of these events. Special achievements are acknowledged and awarded.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 21, 2018 04:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).