Our Mission
Our aim is to protect life and property, by providing meteorological services in support of the social and economic development of the country through monitoring and predicting weather & climate, using up-to-date technology to enable optimal utilization of resources.
We issue appropriate weather forecasts and warnings for St. Maarten, its adjacent waters and air space.
Our Vision
The vision of the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten is to achieve excellence in meteorological science, and the provision of quality weather and climate services.
ABOUT US
The Meteorological Department of St. Maarten (MDS) — most commonly referred to as the Met. Office — is a scientific organization that operates 24 hours a day, all year round, to improve the quality of life for everyone on St. Maarten and the surrounding region. Reliable early warnings are issued in the event of any severe weather, seismic issues or climatic events allowing decision-makers, communities, and individuals to be better prepared; thus avoiding socio-economic setbacks.
After the status change on 10-10-10, St. Maarten became fully responsible for the Meteorological Department and its activities. Due to the fact that St. Maarten didn’t have all the professional manpower, a yearly contract was signed with Meteo Curaçao to help St. Maarten with their daily tasks until St. Maarten can function on its own.
MDS (Meteorological Department St. Maarten) thus only became fully independent on 1 January 2013 — providing accurate weather service that aims to keep its community and the surrounding region safe from any meteorological hazards.
St. Maarten is an island located in the northeastern portion of the Caribbean – more specifically at 18.0° N, 63.0° W. After the breakup of the Netherlands Antilles, St. Maarten became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10 October, 2010 (10-10-10).
TASKS:
The objectives of the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten are to:
- Monitor weather conditions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Observe, record, and transmit upper-air data (temperature, humidity, winds, etc)
- Correspond with regional & international weather stations on various meteorological & climatological phenomena
- Produce and disseminate weather forecasts and warnings to the general public, marine and aviation industries
- Issue special reports whenever necessary, such as in the event of heavy rainfall, tropical storms, and/or other hazardous weather phenomena
- Manage and maintain meteorological and climatological data on a regular basis (monthly and yearly)
- Uphold national & international policy in the field of meteorology, climatology and other geophysical fields