13 Weather Stations to Strengthen Climate and Disaster Readiness in Rural Belize

Thirteen new weather stations are being installed across rural Belize to strengthen climate monitoring and improve support for the country’s agricultural resilience and emergency response capacity.

According to a statement by the Ministry of the Public Service, Governance and Disaster Risk Management, six stations have been installed and four upgraded. “Once completed by June 30, the 13 weather stations will provide detailed, real-time weather data from all 13 communities in the RRB project area, including San Carlos, Yo Chen, Libertad, Yo Creek, Santa Martha, Nago Bank, La Gracia, San Antonio, Red Bank, Barranco, San Jose, etc.,” the ministry said.

The sensors will help provide up-to-date weather information to farmers and improve the National Meteorological Service’s (NMS) ability to track weather and share useful forecasts with the “agriculture and other climate-sensitive sectors in key rural communities.”

The ministry also announced that the next step in the project will be upgrading and launching the NMS’s first mobile app, which would give farmers and the public access to real-time weather updates, climate information, and early warning alerts.

The initiative is being implemented by the Government of Belize through the Ministry of Economic Transformation and the Resilient Rural Belize (RRB) Programme, with funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).