(VOVworld) -  The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment held a meeting in Hanoi on Thursday to mark World Meteorological Day. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has decided the theme “Understanding Clouds” to be this year’s motto because it is essential for forecasting weather conditions, modeling the impacts of future climate change and predicting the variability in water resources, the availability of water resources.

Vietnam marks World Meteorological Day

Deputy Director of the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, Le Thanh Hai, said better understanding of clouds builds up capacity in weather forecast for natural disaster preparedness and economic growth: “Clouds represent important cycle of water transformation and reflect different hydrological stages. The World Meteorological Organization has released a new publication of cloud atlas to guide weather observers in a standardized metrics and identification methods throughout the world.”

During the meeting, Deputy Minister Chu Pham Ngoc Hien called for more relevant forecast models based on cloud data to meet social economic development needs while promoting communications and education about clouds and different weather patterns.