Patna Meteorological Observatory has been conferred the status of ‘Centennial Observing Station’ by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to recognize its contribution towards long-term meteorological observation exceeding over 100 years.
i.The decision to confer the status was taken during the 72nd WMO Executive Council Meeting held virtually from September-October, 2020.
ii.The Patna meteorological observatory was established in 1867 by the British Corps of Engineers.
Key Points:
i.Centennial Weather Stations maintain the world’s longest robust records of weather observations, they are key to understanding of the climate system & global warming.
ii.Globally, there are 234 such recognised stations.
iii.In India alone, there are 12 recognized stations in 12 cities which are Ahmedabad, Alipore, Gopalpur, Mumbai, Nungambakkam, Panjim, Patna, Port Blair, Pune, Puri, Srinagar & Thiruvananthapuram.
Recent Related News:
i.On October 23, 2020, IMD dedicated first of its kind “Flash Flood Guidance services (FFGS)” for South Asian countries namely India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka to issue impact- based forecasting of floods.
About Patna Meteorological Centre:
Director – Vivek Sinha
About World Meteorological Centre:
The World Meteorological Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for promoting international cooperation on atmospheric science, climatology, hydrology and geophysics.
Secretary General – Petteri Taalas
Headquarters – Geneva, Switzerland
Member states – 193 (187 Member States and 6 Member Territories)
