World Meteorological Organization opens the fourth session of its services commission as El Nino strengthens

25 October 2026

The World Meteorological Organization has opened the fourth session of SERCOM, its Commission for Weather, Climate, Hydrological, Marine and Related Environmental Services and Applications, one of its main technical commissions. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, said SERCOM turns scientific and technical excellence into services that protect lives, livelihoods and development. Ian Lisk is President of SERCOM. The session is being held during a strengthening El Nino that is worsening heat, floods, droughts, cyclones, wildfires, haze and marine heatwaves. The agenda covers amendments to the organisation's Technical Regulations and competency frameworks, new requirements for the WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System, a long-term aeronautical meteorology plan, cataloguing hazardous events, the Flood Forecasting Framework and methods for monitoring global temperature. A one-day technical conference was held on the Early Warnings for All initiative, which is entering its fifth year.