The Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres with the activity specialization in tropical cyclones, and Tropical Cyclone Warning Centres, all designated by WMO, are functioning within the Organization’s Tropical Cyclone Programme. The activities are coordinated at the global and regional levels by WMO through its Tropical Cyclone Programme.
As a result of international cooperation and coordination, tropical cyclones are increasingly being monitored from their early stages of formation. The WMO framework allows the timely and widespread dissemination of information about tropical cyclones. Among these, a little more than half (45) become tropical cyclone/hurricane/typhoon. The WMO Tropical Cyclone Programme provides information on these hazards and the WMO Severe Weather Information Centre provides real-time tropical cyclone advisories. Official warnings are then issued by the National Meteorological Services of the countries concerned.Ībout 85 tropical storms form annually over the warm tropical oceans of the globe. However, meteorologists use state-of-art technologies and develop modern techniques such as numerical weather prediction models to forecast how a tropical cyclone evolves, including its movement and change of intensity when and where one will hit land and at what speed. Tropical cyclones may be difficult to forecast, as they can suddenly weaken or change their course. Meteorologists around the world use modern technology, such as satellites, weather radars and computers, to track tropical cyclones as they develop.