World Meteorological Organization facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
World Meteorological Organization

Abbreviation	WMO
Formation	23 March 1950; 75 years ago (1950-03-23)
Type	United Nations specialized agency
Legal status	Active
Headquarters	Geneva, Switzerland
Head	President Abdulla Al Mandous, UAE (since 2023) Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, Argentina since 2024
Parent organization	United Nations Economic and Social Council

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a special agency of the United Nations. It helps countries work together on weather, climate, and water science. The WMO makes sure that weather data and research are shared freely around the world. This helps everyone understand and prepare for weather events.

The WMO started from an older group called the International Meteorological Organization (IMO). This group began in 1873 to share weather information. In 1947, countries decided to create the WMO to make this cooperation even stronger. The WMO officially began its work on March 23, 1950. Since then, it has been an important part of the UN system.

Today, 193 countries and territories are members of the WMO. They share important information about weather and water. The WMO also works with other groups on topics like protecting the environment and understanding climate change. Its main office is in Geneva, Switzerland.

How the WMO Works

German meteorologist Gerhard Adrian, president of the World Meteorological Organization, in 2019

The WMO was created by a special agreement called the Convention of the World Meteorological Organization. This agreement was signed in 1947 and started on March 23, 1950. It explains what the WMO does and how it is run.

The WMO has a few main parts:

• The World Meteorological Congress is the top group. It decides the WMO's main goals and plans. Representatives from each member country meet every four years. They choose the President, Vice-Presidents, and members of the Executive Council. They also appoint the Secretary-General.
• The Executive Council helps carry out the decisions made by the Congress.
• The Secretariat is like the WMO's daily operations team. It has about 200 staff members and is led by the Secretary-General. The Secretary-General can serve for a maximum of two four-year terms.

The WMO publishes a yearly report called the "WMO Statement on the Status of the World Climate." This report shares details about global and local temperatures. It also talks about extreme weather events. The report includes information on long-term climate changes. These changes include greenhouse gases in the air, rising sea levels, and shrinking sea ice. For example, the year 2016 was recorded as the hottest year at that time.

As of August 2023, the WMO has 193 members. These include 187 countries and 6 territories.

Leaders of the WMO

The WMO has had several Secretary-Generals over the years. They lead the daily work of the organization.

• 1952–1955 Gustav Swoboda ( Switzerland)
• 1956–1979 David Arthur Davies ( United Kingdom)
• 1980–1983 Aksel C. Wiin-Nielsen ( Denmark)
• 1984–2003 Godwin Obasi ( Nigeria)
• 2004–2015 Michel Jarraud [fr] ( France)
• 2016–2023 Petteri Taalas ( Finland)
• 2024–present Celeste Saulo ( Argentina)

WMO's Main Goals

The WMO has a plan to guide its work. Here are some of its key focus areas:

• Reducing Disaster Risks: Helping countries prepare for and deal with natural disasters.
• Climate Services: Providing useful climate information to help people make decisions.
• Observing Systems: Improving how we watch and collect data about the Earth's weather and climate.
• Aviation Weather: Making sure pilots and airlines have good weather information for safe flights.
• Polar and Mountain Regions: Focusing on the unique weather challenges in these important areas.
• Building Capacity: Helping countries develop their own weather and climate skills.
• Good Governance: Ensuring the WMO is run well and fairly.

Sharing Weather Data

The WMO helps create common ways to share weather, ocean, and water data. This means that weather stations all over the world can understand each other's information. Older ways of sharing data used special codes based on characters. Newer ways are more flexible and can be used for many different types of data.

Awards and Recognition

In 2007, a group called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) won the Nobel Peace Prize. The IPCC was created by the WMO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). They won the prize for helping people learn more about human-caused climate change. They also helped set the stage for actions needed to fight climate change.

World Meteorological Day

WMO headquarters in Geneva, shared with the IPCC and the Group on Earth Observations

Every year on March 23, people celebrate World Meteorological Day. This day marks the date when the WMO officially started.

Measuring Weather: Units Used

The WMO suggests using the International System of Units (SI) for weather measurements. This helps make sure everyone uses the same measurements. Here are some common units recommended by the WMO:

• Temperature: Degrees Celsius (°C) or Kelvin (K).
• Wind Speed: Metres per second (m/s).
• Wind Direction: Degrees clockwise from north (°). For example, 90 degrees is from the east.
• Air Pressure: Hectopascals (hPa).
• Humidity: Percent (%).
• Rainfall: Millimetres (mm).
• Sunshine: Hours (h).
• Visibility: Metres (m).
• Cloud Height: Metres (m).
• Cloud Cover: Oktas (a measure of how much of the sky is covered by clouds).

WMO Publications

The WMO creates many materials to share information with the public. These include:

• "The World Meteorological Organization at a Glance"
• "WMO for Youth"
• "WMO Bulletin" (published twice a year)
• "WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin" (published yearly)
• "WMO Statements on the Status of the World Climate" (published yearly)
• In September 2020, the WMO also published the United in Science 2020 Report. This report brought together the latest climate science from many different organizations.

WMO Awards

The WMO also gives out awards to recognize important work in meteorology:

• International Meteorological Organization Prize
• Professor Dr Vilho Väisälä Awards
• WMO Research Award for Young Scientists
• Professor Mariolopoulus Award

WMO Members Around the World

The member states of the World Meteorological Organization divided into the six regional associations, shown on a world map

The WMO has members from all over the globe. These members are grouped into six regional associations. This helps them work together on weather issues specific to their areas.

Regional Association I (Africa)

This region includes countries in Africa. It has 57 member states.

Regional Association II (Asia)

This region covers countries in Asia. It has 33 member states and 2 member territories.

The member territories are:

• Hong Kong
• Macau

Regional Association III (South America)

This region includes countries in South America. It has 13 member states.

Regional Association IV (North America, Central America and the Caribbean)

This region covers North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It has 25 member states and 2 member territories.

The two member territories are:

• British Caribbean Territories
• Curaçao and Sint Maarten

Regional Association V (South-West Pacific)

This region includes countries in the South-West Pacific. It has 23 member states and 2 member territories.

The member territories are:

• French Polynesia
• New Caledonia

Regional Association VI (Europe)

This region covers countries in Europe and some parts of Western Asia. It has 50 member states.

Countries in More Than One Region

Some countries are members of more than one WMO region. This helps them work on weather issues that cross regional borders.

See also

In Spanish: Organización Meteorológica Mundial para niños

• Cloud atlas
• International Cloud Atlas
• Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre