Pacific meteorological directors have agreed on coordination and communication arrangements for the 2026/27 regional tropical cyclone outlook ahead of its public release on 14 October.
The directors of Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) met virtually for a briefing convened by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in collaboration with the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre Nadi, the Fiji Meteorological Service and Earth Sciences New Zealand.
The meeting provided an early briefing on the regional outlook and an opportunity to coordinate the timing of its release, notification procedures and media engagement.
Directors also discussed the longer-term governance, mandates and responsibilities of regional and national agencies in providing tropical cyclone outlooks.
SPREP Director of Climate Science and Information Salesa Nihmei said coordinated communication was essential to ensuring communities received consistent and reliable information ahead of the cyclone season.
“A tropical cyclone outlook is only as useful as the way it reaches people,” Nihmei said.
“Bringing Directors together before the public release means every national service can speak to its own communities with confidence, backed by the same regional science.”
The South-west Pacific tropical cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April. Seasonal outlooks provide governments, disaster management agencies and climate-sensitive sectors with advance information to support preparedness planning.
SPREP said consistency between regional and national outlooks was important to ensure communities received clear information through their respective national meteorological services, which remain the official sources of tropical cyclone information and warnings.
The briefing also prepares Pacific climate officers for the 19th Pacific Islands Climate and Ocean Forum (PICOF-19), scheduled for Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on 20 and 21 October.
The forum will bring together climate officers from national meteorological services, regional climate centre partners and users of climate information to assess recent climate and ocean conditions and consider the outlook for the coming months.
Participants will examine the implications of the 2026/27 cyclone season for key sectors, including fisheries, agriculture, water, health, tourism and disaster preparedness.
Climate officers will also use information from the Tropical Cyclone Portal, including analogue years, alongside their respective national methodologies to develop and refine national tropical cyclone and climate outlooks.
The discussions at PICOF-19 will focus on translating regional scientific information into practical guidance for national governments, sector agencies and communities.
While the regional outlook provides a broader assessment of the season ahead, individual national meteorological services will issue their own outlooks and remain responsible for official warnings in their respective countries.
The 2026/27 Regional Tropical Cyclone Outlook will be released publicly on 14 October.
Communities are encouraged to follow their national meteorological services for updates and official warnings throughout the cyclone season.
