Met Office promises accurate forecasts on new weather app

The Meteorological Service of Jamaica, popularly known as the Met Office, yesterday launched the Jamaica Weather app, which it touts as being able to give precise forecasts based on the user's location for up to five days.

The app is accessible on both android and IOS devices, with both words and icons that show the weather predictions. The app also gives hourly forecasts and the user can customise what weather information they want to see. Dorren Bent, the project lead for the app, explained, "Once connected to Internet, the data for the five-day forecast is automatically uploaded. So if it is that you should go on it without that Internet, you will see that data but you will not get any live feed." If there is a technical problem with the app, there is no direct support but an email can be sent to the Met Office.

Rowan Brown, manager of the weather branch at the Met Office, said, "I am excited. The Met [Office], in its desire to provide the most accurate forecasts that are easily understood and accessible, came up with this idea of changing our communication strategy. Persons can make the best decision with the best information and we believe the weather app would be a game changer in weather across Jamaica."

"The information on the app is not coming from somewhere else or someone looking at satellite imagery. It's coming from the forecasters here in Jamaica who are on the job 24/7," he added. The app, which was launched at the AC Hotel in Kingston, was created through the Building Resilience through Climate Adaptation Technologies (BReTCAT) project.

Evan Thompson, principal director of the Met Office, said the entity recognised the need to provide real-time weather information that pinpoints patterns for a specific location considering the vast human-induced climate change. The Met Office collaborated with several organisations, including the Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre, on the initiative, and the project was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank.

Senator Matthew Samuda, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, said that this project is critical to Jamaica since it is relevant in planning ahead considering heat, water and climate issues on a whole.

- T.P.