South Asia Seasonal Climate Outlook Forum | 29 Apr 2020
Why in News
The spatial forecast which shows wide variations in rainfall across India has been provided by the South Asia Seasonal Climate Outlook Forum.
Key Points
- South Asian nations, supported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), have been conducting the SASCOF since 2010.
- SASCOF is a consortium of meteorologists and hydrological experts from South Asian countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Myanmar.
- They work collectively to issue regional forecasts and the team releases forecasts for the Southwest and Northeast monsoon seasons, every year.
- The experts usually meet ahead of preparing the forecasts, but it was called off in 2020 in the wake of Covid-19.
World Meteorological Organization
- The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 193 Member States and Territories. India is a member.
- Established by the ratification of the WMO Convention on 23 March 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.
- It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland.