United Nations' (UN) World Meteo-rological Day will be observed Saturday to remember the World Meteorological Organisation's establishment on that date in 1950.
Each year, on 23 March, the World Meteorological Organisation, its 191 Members and the world-wide meteorological community celebrate World Meteorological Day around a chosen theme. This day commemorates the entry into force, on that date in 1950, of the WMO Convention creating the Organisation. Subsequently, in 1951, WMO was designated a specialized agency of the United Nations System. This year, the theme is "Watching the weather to protect life and property".
World Meteorological Day often features various events such as conferences, symposia and exhibitions for meteorological professionals, community leaders and the general public. Some events aim to attract media attention to raise meteorology's profile. The International Meteorological Organisation was established at the first International Meteorological Congress in Vienna, Austria, in 1873. The organisation aimed to establish meteorological station networks. These networks were linked by telegraph and improved weather forecasts. This contributed to shipping services' safety and efficiency. The International Meteorological Organisation became the World Meteorological Organisation on March 23, 1950. It became the UN's specialized agency for meteorology, operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences in 1951.