Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre facts for kids
A Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) is like a special weather office that helps share important information, advice, and warnings about specific weather events. These centres are part of a big global plan called the World Weather Watch, which is agreed upon by countries through the World Meteorological Organization.
What are Tropical Cyclone Centres?
A Tropical Cyclone Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (say that five times fast!) is a special weather office that watches for tropical cyclones in its assigned part of the world. Their main job is to give out basic information about these powerful storms, including where they are, where they are going, and how strong they are.
There are six main RSMCs for tropical cyclones, plus four smaller ones called Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres (TCWCs). All these centres send out public messages about tropical cyclones. They also help other national weather services prepare warnings for their own countries.
Most of these centres are also in charge of naming tropical cyclones once they become strong enough, like a tropical storm. However, RSMC La Reunion and TCWC Wellington are exceptions and do not name storms.
Who Watches Which Ocean?
Different RSMCs and TCWCs are responsible for different parts of the world's oceans:
- The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC), also known as RSMC Miami, tracks tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
- The United States Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC), or RSMC Honolulu, helps with satellite information for the Western and Southern Pacific. They also issue warnings for the Central Pacific Ocean. If the NHC is too busy, CPHC can also help with the Eastern Pacific.
- The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), or RSMC Tokyo, is responsible for giving out warnings in the Western Pacific Ocean.
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD), also known as RSMC New Delhi, tracks tropical cyclones in the North Indian Ocean.
- Météo-France La Réunion (MFR), or RSMC La Réunion, tracks tropical cyclones and issues warnings in the southwest Indian Ocean.
- In the Australian region, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM/TCWC Melbourne), the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG/TCWC Jakarta), and the Papua New Guinea National Weather Service (TCWC Port Moresby) are responsible for naming and tracking tropical cyclones.
- In the Southern Pacific, the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS, RSMC Nadi) names tropical cyclones for the whole area. However, the Meteorological Service of New Zealand (MetService, TCWC Wellington) gives forecasts for the area south of 25°S latitude.
- The South Atlantic Ocean isn't usually considered a tropical cyclone area. But since 2011, the Brazilian Navy Hydrographic Center has started using special naming lists for cyclones that form south of the equator and west of 20 degrees west longitude.
See also
In Spanish: Centro Meteorológico Regional Especializado para niños
