The Dominica Meteorological Service falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Security and Home Affairs. The Service is headed by a Senior Meteorological Officer who works along with other officers who are trained in various competencies such as weather forecasting, climatology, hydrology, agro-meteorology, instrument & equipment maintenance and weather observations.

The Dominica Meteorological Service operates two offices on the island which are located at the Douglas-Charles and Canefield Airports.

Officers provide hourly routine reports for aviation, weather briefing to pilots and all necessary weather information for safe air navigation in and out of Dominica.

The department collects climatological data for analysis. Data is stored on various weather elements such as rainfall, winds, temperature and humidity, among others. Information is also provided to the general public in the form of daily weather reports on radio, on the weather hotline which is updated three times daily and on the World Wide Web. The Service keeps the public informed on any storms, hurricanes or any significant weather affecting the island.

The Service provides educational support to schools and community groups around the island. Hundreds of students visit the Dominica Meteorological Service annually, to better understand how various weather instruments work and the general operation of the office. Officers also visit fishermen and other community groups to make presentations on aspects of the weather.

The Dominica Meteorological Service operates under the watch words: "Constantly Monitoring the Atmosphere".

History

The Dominica Meteorological Service came into being when the Douglas-Charles Airport was established in 1959. This was later joined by the service at Canefield Airport which was opened in 1982.

These stations were established primarily to provide meteorological services for air navigation in keeping with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards and requirements for meteorological services to international aviation.

The Dominica Meteorological Service is a member of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) as well as the Caribbean Meteorological Organisation (CMO), and its associated entities.

Observation Network and Telecoms

Presently the Dominica Meteorological Service has 6 stations in its network, 3 at Canefield (2 automatic) and 3 at Douglas-Charles (2 automatic). Both stations adhere to the requirements of the WMO's Observation Stations (Surface).

The data and services as requested and where possible are made available to users via every known technology: Fax, Telephone, Internet, Satellite, Radio etc. by our dedicated staff.

Staff Profile

View our Staff Profile.

Mission

The Dominica Meteorological Service operates under the watch words: "Constantly Monitoring the Atmosphere". The data and results from the Service's continuous monitoring of the weather are used to provide products and services for national and international use: current weather reports, forecasts and climatological data. All sectors of the local economy and populace are considered equally in the provision of services: Leisure, Commuters, Agriculture and Forestry, Tourism, Fisheries and Seafaring pleasures, Disaster Preparedness, Building Construction etc.