Chongqing—On October 24, during a visit to the Chongqing Meteorology Bureau, Dawn Duduzile Mahlobo, Senior Manager of the South African Weather Service, observed that platforms like WeChat, SMS, and TikTok are now facilitating quicker severe weather alerts, overcoming the challenges of delayed detections.

Dawn Duduzile Mahlobo, Senior Manager of the South African Weather Service. (Photo/Zheng Ran)

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and China Meteorological Administration (CMA) recently hosted the 51st China Study Tour in Chongqing, gathering delegates from the WMO Secretariat and meteorological departments of 10 countries.

The delegation focused on advancing the United Nations's Early Warnings for All Initiative, exploring how Chongqing's digital meteorological technology enhances monitoring, forecasting, early warnings, and urban governance.

On October 24, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) hosted the 51st China Study Tour in Chongqing. (Photo/Zheng Ran)

Chongqing, characterized by its abundant rainfall and simultaneous hot and rainy seasons, regularly faces extreme weather events such as torrential rains, heatwaves, droughts, prolonged rainy periods, river floods, flash floods, geological disasters, and forest fires. 

The Chongqing Meteorology Bureau has introduced four advanced digital systems to tackle these challenges to boost city governance. Among them is the Tianshu Intelligent Detection System, which merges satellite, radar, and ground observations into a network covering 95.8% of the area. It processes data from over 30 departments, handling hundreds of millions of data points per millisecond.

The Tianzi Intelligent Forecasting System utilizes numerical and AI technologies to enhance severe weather warnings, extending lead times to 63 minutes and refining heavy rainfall forecasts to five-minute intervals.

The Tianzi Intelligent Forecasting System. (Photo/Zheng Ran)

"Our colleagues internationally admire Chongqing's culinary and scenic offerings, but they also appreciate how essential ecological services support such offerings amidst a complex geographic and climate landscape," said Jun Yu, Regional Officer of the Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific Member Services and Development Department of WMO. 

Yu highlighted the vital role of Chongqing's meteorological service, noting its significant impact on the agriculture sector and the well-being of its densely populated urban areas. "The service is integral not just to forecasting weather or temperature for tomorrow but in actively responding to climate change, managing extreme weather events, and bolstering the city's socioeconomic development," he added.

You further highlighted the United Nations' Early Warnings for All Initiative, endorsed by António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General. This initiative aims to enhance early warning coverage globally, particularly in underdeveloped nations.

The event also marked a stride towards international collaboration in meteorological advancements. Tarek Dominic Nourrice, Forecasting Officer at the Seychelles Meteorological Authority, expressed his appreciation for the insights gained. "The discussions with Chongqing and other partners are just the beginning. These connections could significantly benefit other regions, especially Africa, through shared technologies and experiences," he said.

Abdulla Wahid, Director General Meteorology at Maldives Meteorological Services, shared his perspectives on adopting Chongqing's multi-hazard early warning systems following a critical flooding incident in his country. "The technologies used here, like impact-based forecasting, could drastically improve our response times and capabilities," Wahid remarked. He also stressed the importance of international support and knowledge transfer to enhance capacity in smaller or resource-limited nations.