By CARICOM
Photos: CARICOM\YouTube Screenshots
The Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO), joined the global community in celebrating World Meteorological Day on Sunday, 23 March 2025, united under the theme ‘Closing the Early Warning Gap Together’.
As the Caribbean continues to face compounded crises, this year’s observance of World Meteorological Day highlights the importance of partnerships in ensuring that everyone in our Region can access timely, reliable, and actionable early warnings.
The Caribbean is on the frontline of climate change, experiencing rising sea levels, rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones, devastating floods, excessive heat, severe weather and dangerous lightning strikes, and droughts. These hazards pose an increasing threat to lives, livelihoods, and economies. The United Nations Early Warnings for All initiative, spearheaded by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), has made significant strides in closing the early warning gap. As of 2024, 108 countries, including several in the Caribbean, have reported improved multi-hazard early warning system capacities. For example, the excellent forecasts, early warnings, stakeholder engagements, anticipatory action and preparedness greatly reduced the loss of life during the passage of the catastrophic Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Hurricane in the Atlantic and Caribbean. However, much remains to be done to ensure that early warnings reach every individual in harm’s way, particularly in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS), where communities are disproportionately affected by climate change.
This is why the CMO, in partnership with the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Caribbean Project, other CARICOM Regional Institutions, National Meteorological Services and National Disaster Organisations, is excited to launch a Lightning Safety Awareness Contest for school children. The contest aims to close the gap in public knowledge of lightning safety and first aid through youth engagement, creative expression, and public awareness. Schools in the English-speaking Caribbean are invited to prepare and submit videos demonstrating what to do before and during lightning storms, and how to provide first aid to lightning strike victims. The closing date for video submissions is 25 April 2025. Full contest details can be found on the Caribbean Lightning Safety Awareness Contest page on CMO’s website.
As the UN Secretary-General emphasised in his message for World Meteorological Day 2025: “Early warning systems are not luxuries – they are necessities and sound investments, providing an almost ten-fold return.” The CMO echoes this call to action and urges governments, businesses, and communities to get involved in and support weather, climate, and hydrological services.
This World Meteorological Day, let us reaffirm our collective responsibility to build resilience through early warnings, proactive adaptation, and strengthened partnerships. By working together, leveraging innovation, and fostering international cooperation, we can ensure that every Caribbean citizen is protected, prepared, and empowered in the face of an uncertain climate future.
About the CMO
The Caribbean Meteorological Organsation (CMO) is a specialised agency of the Caribbean Community that coordinates the joint scientific and technical activities in weather, climate and water-related sciences in 16 English-speaking Caribbean countries (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands). The Organs of the CMO are: (i) The Caribbean Meteorological Council (CMC)-Governing Body of the CMO, (ii) The Headquarters Unit (Secretariat), headed by a Coordinating Director, located in Trinidad and Tobago; (iii) The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) located in Barbados; and (iv) The Caribbean Meteorological Foundation. The CMO originated from the British Caribbean Meteorological Service, founded in 1951.
