Asia-Pacific E-Resilience Toolkit Tool
Vanuatu Meteorological Services Portal
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD) through the Climate Division is actively involved in Awareness raising around the archipelago in an effort to get the general public to understand more about its services and other extreme climate phenomena’s. The VMGD website provides latest warnings, as well as educational information and preparedness recommendations for tsunamis, tropical cyclones and extreme weather events.
The main target groups are schools (both primary and secondary schools) and rural communities which make up 70% of the total population. Awareness topics include ENSO and its impacts, climate change and its impacts, tropical cyclones, clarification on warning systems and services; and on occasions try to raise the profile of Tsunamis.
Climate Forecasting is currently the core service provided by the Climate Division through its bulletin ‘The Vanuatu Climate Update’. These are Seasonal Rainfall Forecasting (6-monthly forecast), 3-monthly forecasts for the 2 main regions of Vanuatu, North Vanuatu which include TORBA, SANMA, PENAMA and MALAMPA Province (12°S – 16ºS) and South Vanuatu which includes SHEFA and TAFEA Province (16° – 22°S). Specific forecasts for each province are also available. Tropical Cyclone Guidance are released before each cyclone season.
The Climate Division also contributes to the preparation of the ‘Island Climate Update’ which is a seasonal forecast service produced by the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) for the Pacific Island Countries. The products are also distributed to various sectors in the country.
