Over the years, the meteorological community in the Pacific has strived to provide accurate and timely weather, climate, and hydrological services to its people says Acting Director of Fiji Met Service Terry Atalifo.

While opening the weather forecast verification training in Nadi today, Atalifo told participants that one of the key components of the forecast system is the verification process.

Atalifo says this is an area that needs strengthening in the national meteorological services in our region.

“The forecast verification training we are about to embark on involves a highly specialized type of training, and I believe that this is going to be a first in the Pacific region.” “The goal of this training is to support operational forecast verification in the different services, and at some point, we hope to operationalize such concepts.”

The regional training on this particular course is in partnership with JICA under the Third Country Program on Sustained Activity for Developing Capacities for Met Services in the Pacific.

Atalifo has also acknowledged the long-standing partnership between JICA and the Fiji Meteorological Service.

He adds the forged partnership traces back to the 1980s when the Nadi Weather Office and JICA began working together to train and build capacity of the meteorological community in Fiji and the Pacific.