World Met Day 2021
Belize joins the rest of the world today in celebrating World Meteorological Day. March twenty-third commemorates the convention establishing the World Meteorological Organization back in 1950. The theme for 2021 is “The Ocean, Our Climate and Weather” and the event launches the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The National Meteorological Service of Belize continues to provide services and products that protect lives and property from extreme weather events. It builds long-term climate resilience and helps in the sustainable development by collecting weather and climate observations and developing early warning systems and services.
Michelle Augustine, Deputy Chief Meteorologist
“Well, a typical day at the met service even when the weather is good there is always work to do. For instance, we have to constantly monitor the weather. Whether it is sunny outside, rainy or cloudy we have to monitor the weather. Even though it might look like a slow day, when it is a bright sunny day it is actually a day that we still need to perform our duties. We still need to forecast that good weather and observe the good weather.”
Michelle Augustine
Andrea Polanco
“Talk to me – what is that like working during the hurricane season?”
Michelle Augustine
“Yes, that is a challenging time I must admit but it is also an exciting time because you get to know firsthand what will happen. I have found it is always great experience to inform people to have them be prepared to get ready early in the advent of a passage of a storm system. So, that for me is a fulfilling part of my career to inform the general public and stakeholders about impending disasters.”
Andrea Polanco
“For you, is there anything that surprises you about this job?”
Michelle Augustine
“Being here for over twenty-years there is little that surprises me but I must admit that every storm system is different so it is always nice to look and see how this storm is different from the last storm that affected the country. So, yeah, maybe in that regard you do get a bit of surprises now and then.”
