The Hydrometeorological service through the National Weather Watch Centre in Timehri is seeking to have the weather and climate information disseminated in a timely and accurate manner.
Chief Hydro-meteorological Officer Dr Garvin Cumming said the various methods of communication are being considered.
“We have been working with a number of our partners to ensure that the information we are providing is relevant and useful to the persons that need it the most. We have been meeting with our main stakeholders to ensure that it is accessible and one such activity is the holding of the National Climate Outlook forum that we had the first, in early 2015 before the beginning of the primary rainfall season”, Dr Cummings explained.
Cummings pointed out that the Weather Watch Centre has already been engaged with several media entities who have proposed various ways in which weather and climate can get adequate coverage. One of the challenges affecting the receipt of weather and climate information and data, is the public’s ability to interpret it.
Part of the strategy is to simplify information for all facets of the general public to understand. Cummings, however said that weather and climate information and data can be considered scientific material, “and can only be simplified to some extent.”
The overall intention of pursuing a better strategy for the dissemination of information aims to ensure that information on the weather and climate is timely, accurate and reaches the general population across Guyana. Moreover, all media platforms will be utilised as well as consultation with all stakeholders and farmers who will get this information whenever they need it.
Dr Cummings said, “We are mandated to provide services for agriculture in order to provide guidance and support in terms of decision making and weather and climate information. Whether we are speaking about very short weather forecast or predictions at the seasonal level or we are talking about more long term, what might be the expected rainfall.”
The National Weather Watch Centre issues daily forecasts with reviews of the weather conditions. Persons who rely on this information sometimes find it difficult interpret or relate to the information issued. This can hinder swift response to emergencies and also create a lack of preparedness to changing weather conditions.
