The 2023 hurricane season marked a significant milestone for Dominica, showcasing Dominica’s Meteorological Office’s ability to independently provide weather alerts for the nation. This revelation was made by the Acting Senior Meteorological Officer Ithoma James during a Ministry of National Security year-end press conference, held on January 31, 2024. He disclosed that Dominica can now directly access weather updates from the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Previously, the Met Office relied on the Barbados Meteorological Service as an intermediary for communication with the NHC. Information would be transferred from the NHC to Barbados, then to the Met Office, and finally to the National Emergency Planning Organization (NEPO) for decision-making on issued alerts for Dominica.
In 2023, he revealed that they successfully bypassed the intermediary step, directly engaging with the NHC and subsequently with NEPO to make informed decisions. This streamlined process allowed for more efficient alert dissemination to the public.
“The Met Office is particularly proud of this accomplishment, and its achievements in issue with these sorts of alerts,” James affirmed.
He seized the opportunity to express gratitude to the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH), the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO), the NHC, and the Barbados Meteorological Service; acknowledged their longstanding commitment in shouldering the responsibility of delivering alerts crucial for Dominican residents safety and well-being over the years.
Regarding other significant advancements observed by the Met Office in the previous year, James highlighted that from November 27 to December 1, 2023, Dominica had the honour of hosting the Caribbean Climate Outlook Forum. This forum brought together the region’s top climate scientists and various stakeholders affected by climate change. During that meeting, forecasts for the upcoming seasons, encompassing both dry and wet seasons, including hurricane predictions, were discussed. The generated forecast underwent stakeholder discussions, and the information was disseminated back to different countries for application and utilisation.
“I would just really like For Dominica and our different sectors to make use of this information because they can be very important, and help in our policy development and planning going forward. So, from this meeting, it was decided that Dominica should host its own climate Forum, which is called the National Climate Outlook Forum.”
The forum invited diverse ministries, stakeholders, and key players such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Dowasco, and the energy and health sectors. In the same period, the Met Office successfully upgraded its early warning systems, aided by support from the World Bank. A new building located at Jimmit was acquired, featuring a media room for video production, an operations room equipped with new computers, and staff quarters for overnight monitoring during extreme weather conditions.
Additionally, the Met Office installed 36 new automatic weather stations in strategic locations across the country to collect vital data. These stations vary in capabilities, with some being fully automatic and measuring all climatic elements, while others focus on rainfall and river measurements. These stations play a crucial role in the early warning system by enabling the collection of data used to establish different thresholds for various communities. This allows for more specific warnings and alerts based on specific conditions in each community.
James acknowledged that they are currently in the process of building some of these thresholds. However, with the data collected over the past year, they have a clear idea of how to issue warnings for certain communities. While the development for other communities is ongoing, he assured that the Met Office has the capability and intentions to make the best use of it.
To enhance public access to this information, a website is being developed to display real-time data, including rainfall and temperature information collected by these instruments. The website is currently in the testing phase, and once accuracy is confirmed, it will be made available to the public.
Furthermore, Dominica now boasts three hydrological officers trained in data collection from various rivers, conducting analyses, and presenting useful information to the public. According to the senior Met officer, this enhancement will significantly contribute to their capabilities in providing early warning alerts to the public, especially considering the challenges posed by the proximity of communities to rivers and waterways, which remains one of the country’s primary concerns in disaster and hazard management.
Wow, this must be the achievement of the century in DA. OMG!!
Good progress weather folks.
It is good to see those improvements you guys are making at the met office. You are beginning to look like a true scientific data collection center. I personally made recommendations several years ago on having these weather stations in the critical locations and happy to see these improvements. Good data helps make good decisions. Without those scientific data we cannot properly conserve our forest, rivers, develop our rivers, and preserve and protect our environment. what you guys do is critical to our community’s existence. I understand. Good job.
The educated people will believe Ithoma Thomas and the meteorological office.The know it all UWP aholes will go with chief meteorological officer Thompson Fontaine and the media whore on Q95.
What on earth is wrong with you? Nobody rattled your cage but you still see reason for your usual verbal diarrhoea. You are one crazy SOB!