National Center for Meteorology

The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) is a government center headquartered in Jeddah Province. It aims to monitor weather conditions and climate in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and assess their impact. It also observes atmospheric and marine phenomena and issues forecasts to protect lives and preserve property through an integrated technical and operational ecosystem, in accordance with international standards in meteorology.  

NCM was established by a decision of the Council of Ministers on March 26, 2019. It has a legal personality that is financially and administratively independent, and it is organizationally linked to the Minister of Environment, Water, and Agriculture.

NCM's board of directors is chaired by the minister of environment, water, and agriculture. It includes a representative of the environment sector in the ministry, who serves as a member and vice-chairman, as well as a representative from the Ministry of Defense and a representative from the General Authority of Civil Aviation. This comes in addition to the membership of three competent and experienced members in NCM's mandate. The minister, in his capacity as chairman, nominates these members, and their appointment is confirmed by a decision of the council of ministers. Their membership term is three years, with the possibility of renewal once.

The board is concerned with approving the policies related to NCM in accordance with its basic regulation, which includes sixteen articles. It also performs other tasks, including supervising and following up on the implementation of the tasks assigned to NCM, and proposing the organizational structure and projects related to NCM's mandate. The board approves the internal and technical regulations and procedures necessary for managing NCM's affairs and operations.

NCM develops and oversees the implementation of work plans related to its mandate. It also proposes and submits standards, criteria, controls, and meteorological requirements to the relevant ministry. It also provides a continuous and documented national database that includes weather and climate data. It is responsible for building and operating communication networks, and warning and early warning networks for operation during weather and climate conditions, as well as issuing weather and climate forecasts to the concerned entities, in addition to other tasks. 

NCM seeks to improve meteorological services by enhancing the accuracy of weather forecasts, providing early warnings with precision and speed, and delivering a sufficient amount of information. It aims to enhance the national capacity to address climate change by providing reliable medium- and long-term climate predictions and adopting the latest technical capabilities and international standards to deliver high-quality services through continuous collaboration with leading global research institutes and meteorological centers. Additionally, it aims to expand the geographic coverage of meteorological services by strengthening monitoring capabilities in various regions. 

Furthermore, NCM aims to support economic growth by offering specialized and commercial meteorological products and services that meet the needs of different clients and sectors and establishing an effective regulatory framework in the Kingdom to promote private-sector participation. NCM's objectives include achieving institutional excellence by ensuring a high level of efficiency and knowledge among the workforce in the meteorological sector through ongoing collaboration with educational institutions.

In 2021, NCM announced its partnership in achieving the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative, both of which were announced by Crown Prince and Prime Minister HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. 

NCM hosts several regional and international centers directly related to both initiatives, such as the Sand and Dust Storm Warning Regional Center and the Climate Change Regional Center. Additionally, efforts are underway to establish and operate GISC Jeddah and the Climate Change Center, both of which are integral components of the Saudi Green Initiative and the Middle East Green Initiative.