Each year, on March 23, the World Meteorological Organizations (WMO), its 188 members and the worldwide meteorological community celebrate World Meteorological Day around a chosen theme.
The date commemorates the entry into force, in 1950, of the WMO Convention creating the organization, and subsequently, in 1951, WMO was designated a specialized agency of the United Nations system.
The theme for 2009 is, "Weather, climate and the air we breathe."
"I would like to commend the work that is carried out every day by the staff of the St. Maarten branch of the Meteorological Service of the Netherlands Antilles & Aruba. They perform very important tasks in providing weather information to the control tower at the airport for safe airport operations besides information to mariners.
"Secondly, the service also performs an important task during the hurricane season. Our island nation is on track to set up its own national service with the assistance of the Meteorological Service of the Netherlands Antilles & Aruba and others.
"We look forward to the day when our current branch office becomes our own national service continuing to serve the aviation and shipping sectors as well as the St. Maarten community," Commissioner of Economic Affairs Maria Buncamper-Molanus told the Government Information Service (GIS).