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Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Is It Safe to Exercise Outside Today? This Chart Can Help You Decide
If this summer feels super warm to you, that's probably because it is. Crazy-high temperatures in a lot of the country are the new normal, thanks largely to climate change. In fact, June 2025, was the third-warmest since record-keeping began in 1850, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. The period from January to June 2025 was the second-hottest first half of the year ever. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like these high temps are going to go down any time soon. In May, the World Meteorological Organization issued a statement saying that temperatures are expected to stay at or near record levels for the next five years. The heat is not just uncomfortable — it can be downright dangerous. The most recent figures show that heat-related illnesses contribute to more than 1,000 Americans every year, according to the EPA. In some instances, heat stroke may kill someone and in other cases, certain existing conditions may be exacerbated by the high temperature. What that means to folks who stay fit by walking, running, biking, playing pickleball or doing anything else under the sun: a greater chance of being hit by heat exhaustion or one of the more serious health calamities brought on by high temperatures, says Elizabeth Gardner, M.D., a sports medicine expert and an associate clinical professor at Yale School of Medicine. 'It certainly is a paradigm shift, but this is where we're at,' says Dr. Gardner, of the fact that we all have to do more to guard against heat exhaustion, heat stroke and other issues, even if we're used to working out in warm climates. How hot is too hot to work out? Google that question, and you'll get a big '90°F' up at the top of the search results, but that's just an estimate and only part of the story. 'The problem with that number is that it doesn't take into account the other factors that affect your body's perception and experience with heat,' says Dr. Gardner. 'We all know that 90° temperatures and 90% humidity in Connecticut or the Bahamas is not the same as 90° in Arizona with dry heat. It feels different, and the body is being stressed in different ways.'You can reference the Heat index from the National Weather Service above, which combines the humidity with the temperature to give what the temperature feels like for your body. For instance, if the temperature is 90°F and the humidity is 70, you've entered the dangerous zone of 105°F, which means you may be susceptible to heat-related illnesses. You can also use its calculator to help you. But if the only info you have is the temperature, 80° to 90°F is the be-extra-careful zone, says Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.S.O., C.D.N., NASM-CPT, the Good Housekeeping Institute's Nutrition Lab Director, who is also a personal trainer. 'There are a lot of variables, so it's hard to pin it down to just a number.' Other factors to consider The humidity Why? Because sweating is the main way your body cools itself down when you expend energy. If the air contains a lot of moisture — i.e., if it's humid — the sweat doesn't evaporate as quickly (or at all) and you don't cool down. 'You just keep sweating and getting dehydrated, and you're still not able to get rid of the heat,' says Dr. Gardner. And low humidity is differently tricky — your sweat evaporates quickly, which means you cool down quicker, which is good. 'But in dry heat the sweat evaporates so quickly that you don't even notice it, which means you don't see the telltale sign that you need to hydrate,' says Sassos. You can, in fact, get dehydrated really easily in dry heat (or when you're swimming), even if you don't seem to sweat. The heat index (which factors in heat and humidity) or the 'feels like' temperature on your phone's weather app is an at-a-glance way to get a better idea of what it will feel like outside, though sports medicine health professionals use the 'wet bulb' gauge, which also takes into account wind speed and cloud cover. Your fitness level It is true that people who are in better cardiovascular shape tend to be able to withstand exercise in the heat better than those who are just starting out, Dr. Gardner says, but that, too, only goes so far. 'You can have someone who is very fit at running on the treadmill in air conditioning at the gym, and she does the same workout, or even less, in a very different temperature or with different humidity conditions, and that same person can be at risk for heat illness,' she says. 'Your body is used to handling that physiologic muscle stress, but you haven't had to incorporate the thermo-regulatory effect in the same way.' In other words, the system that works at cooling you down when you expend energy may not be as 'in shape' as your heart and lungs and muscles. Your age Children and people 65 or older are at greater risk for heat illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Your overall health 'People who have an underlying medical condition or a current illness, their bodies are not as equipped to handle more stress in general,' says Dr. Gardner. Day-to-day factors These include how tired you are, whether you're stressed out, if you've eaten well and have taken in enough water in the last 24 hours or whether you had too much alcohol to drink last night. 'We all can feel different on a daily basis, so the things that affect how you wake up feeling in the morning can really affect your body's physiology,' says Dr. Gardner. 'You are in your same human body, in the same physical shape from day to day, but that doesn't mean your body is able to respond to the stress brought on by the heat equivalently day to day.'Follow these steps to stay safe in the heat: Trust your body. 'If you go outside, and it just feels borderline uncomfortable, you should say 'I'm just going to do a light workout' or go indoors,' says Sassos. Think about your body's ability to handle stress that day. Things like if you're tired, under the weather, didn't sleep well or are a little hungover all affect how well your body will handle the heat that particular day. 'You want to leave a little in the tank to live to fight another day — there's always tomorrow,' she says. 'That's not to say you should trade your sprint workout in 100° weather for sitting on the couch, but there are lots of other ways to get the benefits of working out.' Think: Indoor cardio, Crossfit or yoga (not the hot kind) or go for a swim. Work out early in the morning or in the evening. This is when it tends to be cooler. 'Avoid the middle of the day,' says Sassos. Wear wicking clothes. Lightweight performance clothes designed for sports in hot weather are key, along with a hat, shades and sun protection. 'Don't go in your old college t-shirt, which has zero wicking capacity,' says Sassos. But be aware: 'Not all fabrics that claim to be moisture wicking actually are,' says Lexie Sachs, the Good Housekeeping Institute's Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab executive director. 'My trick is to take a drop of water and place it on the inside of the fabric — the part that touches your skin. You should see that drop spread out wide quickly. If it beads up or doesn't spread, then it won't manage your sweat well.' Hydrate before, during and after your workout. 'Obviously, after is crucial, but try to bring a bottle with you,' says Sassos. If it's super hot, or you're exercising for more than an hour, sip an electrolyte drink. Don't push it. 'In high heat, try taking it a little easier, really gauging how your body feels and being okay with turning back a little sooner,' says Dr. Gardner. Know the signs of heat illness. If you don't feel right, stop and get someplace where you can rest, hydrate and cool down, says Sassos. The warning signs of heat exhaustion include the following, according to the : Heavy sweating Paleness Muscle cramps Tiredness Weakness Dizziness Headache Nausea or vomiting Fainting Untreated heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke, which can lead to permanent disability or death if not treated quickly. If you see someone with these signs, call 911 and move the person to a shady area and try to bring their temperature down as quickly as are some of the warning signs of heat stroke: A body temperature above 103°F Red, hot, and dry skin that isn't sweating A Rapid, strong pulse Throbbing headache Dizziness Nausea Confusion Unconsciousness Bottom line Heat illness is no joke, so pay attention to your body and be open to working out indoors if need be. You Might Also Like 67 Best Gifts for Women That'll Make Her Smile The Best Pillows for Every Type of Sleeper
Bangkok Post
5 days ago
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Taking stock of nation's climate finance
If the ravages of extreme weather worldwide were not enough to convince anyone of the need to urgently address and adapt to climate change, consider a sobering fact delivered by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In its "State of the Global Climate 2024" report, it said last year was "likely the first calendar year to be more than 1.5C above the pre-industrial era, with a global mean near-surface temperature of 1.55 ± 0.13C above the 1850-1900 average". This makes 2024 the warmest year in the 175 years that have been observed, according to this seminal report which was released in March. The record-breaking year "underlined the massive economic and social upheavals from extreme weather and the long-term impacts of record ocean heat and sea-level rise". Leading concerns Thailand serves as a microcosm of this urgent need. The country has already ranked 30th in this year's list of countries that are most vulnerable to climate change, according to human rights organisation Germanwatch. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (Unescap) estimates that Thailand's average annual damage from climate change will amount to almost 1 trillion baht, or 6.6% of the country's GDP per year, under the 2-degree scenario. The cumulative damage of climate change on Thailand's agriculture sector alone is estimated to be between 17.5–83.8 billion baht per year between 2021-2045. Naturally, Thailand needs significant investments in climate mitigation to keep up its commitment on the global stage. In 2024, the Department of Climate Change and Environment estimated that a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 would require a 5 trillion baht investment in climate finance, while a 40% reduction would require an investment of 7 trillion baht. Tracking finance flows One major drawback for Thailand is the lack of any sense of urgency as well as the financial resources for both climate mitigation (to lower greenhouse gas emissions) and climate adaptation to reduce the negative impacts of climate change. Thailand still lacks a clear picture of the current climate finance flows in the country. As Climate Finance Network Thailand (CFNT) was founded in 2024 with the aim of catalysing more meaningful climate finance in Thailand, we took it upon ourselves to compile as much data from publicly available sources to construct a public "Climate Finance Tracker" (henceforth referred to as the "Tracker") for Thailand -- akin to the Global Landscape of Climate Finance report produced annually by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), the US-based organisation that focuses on climate finance and policy. We focus on two main activities: climate mitigation and climate adaptation. We found sources of climate finance come from various areas such as government bodies, multilateral development banks, national and multilateral climate funds, state-owned enterprises, specialised financial institutions, domestic public funds, and international financial institutions. These funds are typically directed through official development assistance (ODA), concessional loans, grants, or public investment programmes. On the other hand, private climate finance also comes from the private sector, for example, commercial financial institutions, corporations, impact investors (including philanthropy), institutional investors, and other non-state actors. It includes investments aligned with clear climate-related objectives through mechanisms such as green bonds, green loans, and blended finance. One key principle used by the CPI that we adopted for our Tracker is the focus on direct investment aligned with climate mitigation and adaptation efforts within the country. In line with the CPI's methodology, the Tracker also excludes any financial flows that do not represent new investments targeting climate-related outcomes. Investments we excluded from our calculation are secondary markets, refinancing, the transfer of ownership of existing assets, and public subsidies that are primarily designed to reimburse initial investment costs, such as those supporting private research and the development of new technologies. Like the CPI, we exclude "carbon emissions lock-in" projects. This refers to cases where investment clings to fossil-fuel based infrastructure despite the low-emission alternatives available that could be deployed. One example of a carbon lock-in project would be an upgrade to improve the efficiency of coal-fired power plants. Financing challenges Climate adaptation is a much more complicated affair to track. Each activity has its own context and characteristics, and a lot of time, effort and resources are needed to monitor adaptation activities to judge whether they are "successful" or not. CFNT attempts to address this challenge by using the Tailwind Taxonomy, a publicly available model to audit the performance of climate adaptation and resilience projects. The model was developed by Tailwind Futures, a strategic venture fund. We chose climate adaptation projects that address the specific vulnerabilities to climate change and climate-related risk, and make assessments from the evidence-based outcomes of these activities. What have we found? From tallying over 2,800 project-level and organisation-level data carried out from year 2018 to May of this year, we conclude that at least 1.7 trillion baht has been invested in climate mitigation projects. Some 82% of this sum derives from corporations, commercial banks, and state-owned enterprises. In terms of contributions by sector, 64% of total investment comes from energy and transport. Zooming into sub-sectors, the most popular climate mitigation activities are rooftop solar installations (17% of the total), electric vehicles (10%), and mass transit and mass railway projects (8%). We also look into climate adaptation activities and projects. Based on data from 670 projects, we estimate that during 2020-2024, Thailand spent 148 billion baht on climate adaptation projects. Some 95% of the money came from Thailand's central government, followed by multilateral climate funds (1.8%). Zooming into sectors, sustainable water management, urban resilience, and sustainable agriculture are key focal areas for climate adaptation. Those who are interested in perusing our Tracker -- reading our detailed methodology and downloading slides featuring our key highlights -- can do so by visiting our website at By making the Tracker publicly accessible and updating the database annually, we hope to assist policymakers in identifying the gap between existing climate finance flows and demands. We seek to jumpstart conversations on climate finance, as well as enabling better allocation of funds into the most urgently needed sectors and sub-sectors in Thailand, especially to those that are the most vulnerable to the worsening impacts of climate change.
Int'l Business Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Indigenous Australians Lose Landmark Climate Court Case Against Government
Indigenous Australians living on a string of climate-threatened islands on Tuesday lost a landmark court bid to hold the government responsible for lacklustre emissions targets. Scattered through the warm waters off Australia's northernmost tip, the sparsely populated Torres Strait Islands are threatened by seas rising much faster than the global average. Torres Strait elders have spent the past four years fighting through the courts to prove the government failed to protect them through meaningful climate action. Australia's Federal Court found the government was not obliged to shield the Torres Strait Islands from climate change. "I thought that the decision would be in our favour, and I'm in shock," said Torres Strait Islander Paul Kabai, who helped to bring the case. "What do any of us say to our families now?" Fellow plaintiff Pabai Pabai said: "My heart is broken for my family and my community." Federal Court Justice Michael Wigney criticised the government for setting emissions targets between 2015 and 2021 that failed to consider the "best available science". But these targets would have had little impact on global temperature rise, he found. "Any additional greenhouse gases that might have been released by Australia as a result of low emissions targets would have caused no more than an almost immeasurable increase in global average temperatures," Wigney said. Australia's previous conservative government sought to cut emissions by around 26 percent before 2030. The incumbent left-leaning government in 2022 adopted new plans to slash emissions by 40 percent before the end of the decade, and reach net zero by 2050. Fewer than 5,000 people live in the Torres Strait, a collection of about 274 mud islands and coral cays wedged between Australia's mainland and Papua New Guinea. Lawyers for traditional land owners from Boigu and Saibai -- among the worst-impacted islands -- asked the court to order the government "to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that will prevent Torres Strait Islanders from becoming climate refugees". Sea levels in some parts of the archipelago are rising almost three times faster than the global average, according to official figures. Rising tides have washed away graves, eaten through huge chunks of exposed coastline, and poisoned once-fertile soils with salt. The lawsuit argued some islands would soon become uninhabitable if global temperatures rose more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The World Meteorological Organization has warned this threshold could be breached before the end of the decade. While Australia's emissions pale in comparison to the likes of China and the United States, the fossil fuel powerhouse is one of the largest coal exporters in the world.
Time of India
7 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Indigenous Australians lose landmark climate court case against government
AI- Representative Image SYDNEY: Indigenous Australians living on a string of climate-threatened islands on Tuesday lost a landmark court bid to hold the government responsible for lacklustre emissions targets. Scattered through the warm waters off Australia's northernmost tip, the sparsely populated Torres Strait Islands are threatened by seas rising much faster than the global average. Torres Strait elders have spent the past four years fighting through the courts to prove the government failed to protect them through meaningful climate action. Australia's Federal Court found the government was not obliged to shield the Torres Strait Islands from climate change. "I thought that the decision would be in our favour, and I'm in shock," said Torres Strait Islander Paul Kabai, who helped to bring the case. "What do any of us say to our families now?" Fellow plaintiff Pabai Pabai said: "My heart is broken for my family and my community." Federal Court Justice Michael Wigney criticised the government for setting emissions targets between 2015 and 2021 that failed to consider the "best available science". But these targets would have had little impact on global temperature rise, he found. "Any additional greenhouse gases that might have been released by Australia as a result of low emissions targets would have caused no more than an almost immeasurable increase in global average temperatures," Wigney said. Australia's previous conservative government sought to cut emissions by around 26 percent before 2030. The incumbent left-leaning government in 2022 adopted new plans to slash emissions by 40 percent before the end of the decade, and reach net zero by 2050. 'Climate refugees' Fewer than 5,000 people live in the Torres Strait, a collection of about 274 mud islands and coral cays wedged between Australia's mainland and Papua New Guinea. Lawyers for traditional land owners from Boigu and Saibai -- among the worst-impacted islands -- asked the court to order the government "to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that will prevent Torres Strait Islanders from becoming climate refugees". Sea levels in some parts of the archipelago are rising almost three times faster than the global average, according to official figures. Rising tides have washed away graves, eaten through huge chunks of exposed coastline, and poisoned once-fertile soils with salt. The lawsuit argued some islands would soon become uninhabitable if global temperatures rose more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The World Meteorological Organization has warned this threshold could be breached before the end of the decade. While Australia's emissions pale in comparison to the likes of China and the United States, the fossil fuel powerhouse is one of the largest coal exporters in the world.
Daily Maverick
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Maverick
WMO report reveals urgent need for action against rising dust storms in Southern Africa
A new World Meteorological Organization report warns of the exacting toll that sand and dust storms are having on global health and economies. The report pinpoints South Africa's West Coast as a dust hotspot, with some of the highest concentrations in the southern hemisphere. Have you ever noticed a hazy sky, felt grit in the air, or seen a wall of dust approaching while on the West Coast? These are all signs of airborne dust, a natural phenomenon that is increasingly being influenced by human activities and climate change. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recently released its Airborne Dust Bulletin, providing a global overview of airborne dust in 2024. This report, along with other recent findings, offers insights into how dust storms affect our health, economies and environment, with significant implications for countries like South Africa. Key findings from the 2015 WMO Airborne Dust Bulletin, its ninth, are that sand and dust storms now affect about 330 million people in 150 countries; there is increasing economic disruption and health impacts from this; and poor land and water management, as well as drought, play a major role in this. Global sand and dust storm hotspots in 2024 Dust is a natural part of our planet's system, but the WMO has emphasised in its latest bulletin that human factors are playing an increasingly significant role in its prevalence. Poor land and water management, ongoing droughts and general environmental degradation are making the problem worse. As WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo puts it: 'Sand and dust storms do not just mean dirty windows and hazy skies. They harm the health and quality of life of millions of people and cost many millions of dollars through disruption to air and ground transport, agriculture and solar energy production.' The report highlights several hotspots where dust concentrations were particularly high in 2024. In the southern hemisphere, the West Coast of South Africa and central Australia saw their highest dust concentrations, ranging from 150 to 300 micrograms per cubic metre. This directly brings the global issue of airborne dust home to South Africa. This is because vast and remote deserts in Namibia and the Northern Cape are a major natural source of dust, and strong winds pick up this dust and blow it over the West Coast. This leads to extremely high concentrations of dust in the air for areas in the Western and Northern Cape, which, the WMO has confirmed, have levels among the highest recorded. As Leonie Joubert previously reported in Daily Maverick, the Northern Cape may be headed for an irreversible dust bowl following yearslong drought and decades of intensive mining and grazing. Dust storms are rare in South Africa, but they do occur over certain parts of the country. Then, in the northern hemisphere, the bulletin noted that the central African nation of Chad, home to the Bodélé Depression (a major dust source), experienced peak annual mean surface dust concentrations of about 800 to 1,100 micrograms per cubic metre of air. Major dust storm events in 2024 were observed across various regions in the bulletin: Canary Islands (December 2024): A strong 'Harmattan' wind surge from northwestern Africa carried dust from the Western Sahara Desert to Spain's Canary Islands, significantly impacting areas where most people live; East Asia (June 2024): Northern China, including Beijing, experienced rare summer dust storms. This was linked to poor vegetation growth in Mongolia due to high temperatures and drought, showing how extreme weather in a changing climate can drive such events; and West Asia (December 2024): Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the Arabian Peninsula were hit by an exceptional winter dust storm, causing widespread disruptions, including flight cancellations, school closures and postponed public events. The increase in dust in some regions is linked to a mix of natural and human-caused factors. These include more intense droughts, stronger winds and changes in how land is used. Things such as overgrazing, cutting down too many trees, poor land management, rapid growth of cities, new buildings and the drying up of important natural areas like marshes all make the soil less stable and more likely to turn into dust. The health implications of sand and dust storms are a major focus of the WMO report. A new indicator, developed jointly by the WMO and the World Health Organization (WHO), revealed a worrying trend: between 2018 and 2022, about 3.8 billion people – nearly half of the world's population – were exposed to dust levels exceeding the WHO's safety threshold. Local challenges and national efforts The WMO report's mention of the West Coast of South Africa as a region with high dust concentrations in the southern hemisphere shows that dust and sand storms are a local reality. South Africa is no stranger to dust storms; they are rare, but they do occur, and they can wreak havoc on agricultural land, damage property, worsen air quality, disrupt road and air travel and cause significant health problems, even leading to loss of life. A large dust storm swept across parts of the country in October 2014, which mainly affected Free State areas and De Aar in the Northern Cape, and another major dust storm affected parts of the country in January 2016. In 2019, people 'watched skies turn red' in Alexander Bay in the Northern Cape on 25 September as fierce winds carried huge plumes of sand and dust westward towards the Atlantic Ocean. This was visible from satellite imagery, according to the Nasa Earth Observatory, while photographs from people in Alexander Bay showed dark, hazy skies and streets that were barely visible. In fact, in a letter dated 10 October 2017, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) addressed property owners in Vredenburg, Saldanha and Langebaan regarding a project to clean and paint properties affected by iron ore dust. The project's progress has been slow, partly due to Level 3 water restrictions preventing the use of drinking water for high-pressure cleaning. This points to damage to property from iron or dust, and how drought affected addressing the situation locally. Now, the report found that these storms are linked to both natural factors like precipitation and wind, and human factors. But there's also growing concern that the changing climate could be increasing the frequency, intensity and spread of these major dust events. The impact on public health From a public health perspective, understanding the implications of dust storms and sharing preventative measures is crucial. The South African Medical Research Council, in partnership with the Department of Health and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, has developed basic health protection steps for the public to take during dust storms. A study titled 'Exploring Meteorological Conditions and Human Health Impacts during Two Dust Storm Events in Northern Cape Province, South Africa: Findings and Lessons Learnt' (Nkosi et al., 2022) delved into the health effects of two specific dust storms in South Africa. This research, conducted at a large public hospital in Kimberley, on the border of the Northern Cape and Free State, examined hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, eye irritation and motor vehicle accidents during and after dust storm events in October 2014 and January 2016. While initial statistical analyses didn't show significant changes in admissions directly at the time of the dust storms, a more advanced technique called wavelet transform analysis revealed some delayed effects. They identified a cluster of hospital admissions for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, eye irritation (and motor vehicle accidents) that were recorded between three and 40 days after the two dust storm events. Specifically, they found a small but statistically significant increase in hospital admissions for eye irritation up to 30 days after a dust storm. This aligns with international findings, since eye irritation is one of the most common health outcomes associated with dust storms. The study also suggested that the admissions might be linked to a combination of temperature and aerosol variations at the start of the dust storms. The researchers acknowledged that other factors, such as high background levels of dust from natural sources and human activities like biomass burning, could also contribute to hospital admissions, making it challenging to isolate the exact impact of dust storms alone. The health consequences of dust exposure can range from immediate effects like skin and eye irritation, decreased lung function and increased cardiovascular issues, to more long-term concerns such as adverse pregnancy outcomes. This research also stated that children, newborns, the elderly, pregnant women and individuals with chronic heart and lung conditions were particularly vulnerable. Unfortunately, South Africa currently has limited long-term national data on dust storm patterns and their precise health impacts, so the researchers noted that there was a need for more research to inform evidence-based policies. Towards a dust-resilient future Recognising the increasing threat of dust storms, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared 2025-2034 as the United Nations Decade on Combating Sand and Dust Storms on 10 July 2024. This global initiative aims to coordinate efforts to prevent, halt and lessen the negative impacts of these storms through shared early warning systems, scientific guidance and sustainable land management. South Africa is also taking steps to address this challenge. The Draft National Dust Control Amendment Regulations, 2025, published by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in May, aim to improve dust control measures within the country. These regulations, which repeal and update the 2013 version, focus on: Identifying specific activities that generate dust; Updating the standard methods for collecting and measuring dustfall; and Improving the requirements for developing, implementing and reporting on dust management plans. Under these new regulations, certain individuals or entities, such as those involved in mining, reclamation or activities that generate dust and cause a nuisance, will be required to develop and submit dust management plans for approval. Failure to comply can result in significant penalties, including fines of up to R5-million (about $270,000) or imprisonment for up to five years for a first offence, with even higher penalties for repeat offences. WMO told Daily Maverick that the message from this latest report is to encourage governments to strengthen the capacity of national meteorological services to improve forecasts and early warnings. They noted that the South African Weather Service already has a very good track record in this respect. DM
