The Delegation of the Government in the Canary Islands and the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET), attached to the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, celebrated today in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria the World Meteorological Day, which commemorates each year the entry into force on March 23, 1950 of the agreement by which the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) was created.
The Government delegate in the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, opened the event at the headquarters of the Government Delegation in the capital of Gran Canaria, accompanied by the territorial delegate of AEMET in the Canary Islands, David Suárez, and by the director of the Chair of Disaster Risk Reduction of the University of La Laguna (ULL), Pedro Dorta, who gave the conference Climate threats in the Canary Islands. The need for a comprehensive early warning system.
Anselmo Pestana stressed that on this date we must renew our commitment to science, research and education in the field of meteorology, because this is not only for experts, “it is a tool that all people must understand and use to live”.
The impact of the DANA that hit the eastern peninsula last October “underscores the need for greater awareness of the risks associated with extreme weather events. The tragedy, he said, reminds us that although technological advances have improved our ability to predict time, natural phenomena can be essential and devastating if we do not have the appropriate means and knowledge to prevent and mitigate them.”
In this regard, the government delegate has highlighted the “strong commitment” of the Government of Spain to meteorology and the management of climate phenomena, “especially in a territory as vulnerable to these phenomena as is the Canary Islands”, both because of its geographical location and its climatic uniqueness.
“In recent years, European and national funds have been allocated for the modernization of weather stations, early warning systems and the implementation of advanced technologies, such as numerical prediction models that allow more accurate forecasting of extreme weather events. These investments are essential to ensure the safety of the population and the protection of the natural environment from events such as storms, droughts and heat waves,” said Anselmo Pestana.
Weather Day dedicated to early warning systems
The WMO has chosen the motto Together let’s narrow the gap in early warning systems to commemorate World Meteorological Day 2025, as part of the contribution to social security and well-being made by the intervention of the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services.
“This day highlights the importance of data and science in making the right decisions. In this sense, all our collaborators and collaborators are extremely relevant, who with their daily and altruistic work form the National Bank of Climate Data and this data is a jewel to know our climate and how it has changed over the years”, said the territorial delegate of AEMET in the Canary Islands.
For his part, the director of the Chair of Disaster Risk Reduction at the University of La Laguna has explained the threats posed by the current climate change context for the Canary Islands.
“The archipelago is a particularly vulnerable territory due to its proximity to the African continent, its complex physical geography and its high demographic pressure. In this sense, early warning systems, understood as integral and multifactorial protocols, must address all these variables, as well as island and population singularities in order to improve adaptation to current and future atmospheric hazards,” said Pedro Dorta.
The event also recognized the work of three collaborators of the State Meteorological Agency at stations C619Y (San Nicolás de Tolentino), C635B (San Bartolomé de Tirajana-Hotel Las Tirajanas) and C665I and C665T, both in Valleseco.