Of the 62 countries who were assessed globally, only half have the basic capacity to monitor extreme weather events, and 16% of the countries have less-than-basic capacity, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

The report, ‘Early Warnings for All in Focus: Hazard Monitoring and Forecasting’ was released during last week’s Extraordinary Session of the WMO Congress (October 20-23), found the situation is worst in fragile, conflict and violence-affected contexts.

But there is also some progress. The land-based stations that record weather data have increased the observations and daily reports that they share with WMO by 60% since 2019, the report documented. More data helps with faster and more accurate weather forecasting.

WMO is focusing on early warning systems for all countries around the world by 2027 as a part of its ‘Early Warnings for All’ initiative. “Without your rigorous modelling and forecasting, we would not know what lies ahead — or how to prepare for it,” the UN Secretary-General António Guterres Secretary-General said at a dialogue during the Congress.

“Without your long-term monitoring, we wouldn’t benefit from the warnings and guidance that protect communities and save millions of lives and billions of dollars each year,” he added.

This year marks the 75th year of the UN weather agency. Apart from the discussions on early warning system, a special session of the WMO governing body, the Executive Council,  on Friday saw deliberations on finance and future investment strategies at a challenging time for the global development sector, which is plagued by a decline in donor contributions.

Countries struggling to keep up with weather data

Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events. But better forecasting makes it more possible to predict many of these, including heat waves, cold waves, heavy rainfall, droughts and cyclones.

Even so, the capacity to do this remains low, particularly in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), according to the report.

For countries with low capacity and gaps in their own system, WMO provides support. Currently 85 countries are receiving forecasting for severe weather conditions from the WMO of the 193 member countries.

Related to that, access to satellite data and other technologies also remains limited in many parts of the developing world.

Globally 56% of members now use satellite data for at least one hazard, but only 20% do so for all their priority hazards. Regional partnerships are helping plug some of the gaps by combining hardware, training and institutional capacity-building that is tailored to regional needs.

“The success of ‘Early Warnings for All’ is not measured in reports or resolutions, but in lives saved and livelihoods protected. This report is both a record of progress and a call to action,” WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo wrote in the report’s Foreword.

“It shows that global solidarity, guided by science and driven by partnership, can deliver transformative change. As we look toward 2027, let us redouble our efforts to ensure that no one — no matter where they live — is left unprotected.”

Staff changes at WMO amidst funding challenges

While the US is one of the top funders of the WMO report ‘Early Warnings for All’, the new Trump administration has meanwhile slashed funding to its own weather agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  The dismantling of United States government’s aid agency, USAID, also has affected the collection of weather and climate data globally.

The WMO Secretariat did not name US explicitly during the finance discussions on the final day of the Congress but acknowledged it was a “challenging time for funding.”

To the relief of some observers, the United States has so far not withdrawn support from the meteorological agency.  In last week’s sessions, the US representative played a “very constructive” and “positive” role, according to Clare Nullis, WMO’s media officer.

“The US is… still very active member of WMO. We need their support. We count on their support. And the US also needs WMO in terms of observations, data sets. Obviously, it’s an area that we are watching very, very closely,” Nullis said in response to a question from Health Policy Watch at a Geneva press conference during the Congress.

So far, Washington has also not sought to openly challenge WMO’s growing role in monitoring climate – which effectively is long-term weather patterns. This despite the cutbacks at NOAA as well as recent moves to defund and dismantling some of the most powerful US climate monitoring tools.

Those slated to be decommissioned before their time include  NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), which measures atmospheric carbon dioxide, and can identify sources and sinks from space. Another is OCO-3—not technically a satellite, but an instrument that has been affixed to the International Space Station—which also measures atmospheric carbon dioxide.

SAGE 3, short for Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment, which measures stratospheric ozone, aerosols, and water  vapour, is also in the administration’s crosshairs, as is Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, a joint project of NOAA and NASA. The budget proposal also recommends shutting down the development of the next generation of satellites and space instruments for Earth science, measuring storms, clouds and aerosols, among other phenomenon, according to the prestigious US-based journal, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

2026-27 Budget allocating more money to activities and trimming staff

In contrast to the World Health Organization, WMO’s neighbour at the UN campus in Geneva, the WMO said it did not plan to drastically cut its 2026-27 budget, which is planned for $138.7 million.  However, the organization is realigning its spending, Nullis said, with funding allocated to staff being cut by 7.2% and allocated to “other costs” to increase the agency’s “flexibility.”

Several senior (D2) roles have been eliminated and new roles created that will focus on regional coordination and digital transformation to help improve the efficiency of WMO’s operations while using lesser resources.

WMO has also set up a task force that will identify areas of priority for the organization going further.

While voluntary contributions from other donor countries and foundations have helped close the 2026 budget gap, 2027 looks more uncertain, Saulo admitted.

“I would also like to appreciate those countries that have been supporting us with voluntary contributions and also have been advancing their payments to facilitate navigating these difficult times,” Saulo said at the Congress, adding. “In a world where we are facing challenges, …. the idea is that we will try to look for extraordinary or extra budgetary funds to allocate to the regions.”

Image Credits: WMO, Early Warnings for All in Focus: Hazard Monitoring and Forecasting report.