The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the worldwide meteorological community celebrate World Meteorological Day on 23 March. This year the theme is “Powering our future with weather, climate and water”.

World Meteorological Day 2012 - Powering our future with weather, climate and water

As a world leader in weather, climate and science, the Met Office delivers various products and services to the UK and across the globe, supporting the general public, government and local authorities, the armed forces, civil aviation, media, transport, utilities and most of the industry sector.

From the collection of data around the world, to its processing and analysis, the Met Office provides bespoke weather and climate predictions for specialist customers, and adds value to forecasts for commercial, defence and aviation customers.

Similarly, climate monitoring enables the Met Office to examine and interpret climate variations and change. This is done throughout the atmosphere, oceans and the cryosphere (ice), which enable us to develop predictions of our future climate change. This means that we can plan ahead and explore the impacts of climate change on Earth and human systems such as; water resources, agriculture, ecosystems, health and energy.

From heatwaves to periods of extreme rainfall, the weather can have a significant impact on the water industry. The Met Office is able to forecast the demand for water in a particular area based on this relationship. By working with the Environment Agency and the Flood Forecasting Centre, we have been able to produce a more in-depth knowledge of how different parts of the United Kingdom respond to rainfall, whether it is a fast responding urban catchment or a low-lying rural location with a greater capability to store water.

Weather, climate and water have moulded, shaped and changed our world in the past and it is more important than ever to look forward and understand how they might change things in the future.