Weather Services encompass a wide range of analysis and prediction products and forecast, warning and information services to the general public, national and international shipping and aviation, the Department of Defence and other users. Services are provided mainly through the seven Regional Forecasting Centres (RFCs) in the State capital cities and Darwin, and through the National Meteorological and Oceanographic Operations Centre (NMOC) located in Melbourne. All of these Centres maintain a 24-hour weather watch every day of the year, issuing forecasts, warnings and other weather information as required.

Many of the Bureau's offices in rural and remote areas, which function primarily to provide high quality weather observations (surface, upper air and weather watch radar), have an important complementary role in providing current weather information and a range of other services to their local communities. Some 43 such service outlets are distributed across Australia, with a further two at Australian bases in Antarctica.

Most of the Bureau's weather services are made available to the Australian community through the mass media (radio, television, newspapers) and services are also accessible via the Internet, recorded telephone systems, marine high frequency (HF) radio and facsimile.

Weather Services are provided in line with the Bureau of Meteorologys Service Charter for the Community. A broad range of ongoing consultative mechanisms, involving Commonwealth and State authorities and major commercial and community user groups, is in place to help ensure that services evolve and are continually improved in accordance with user needs and advances in science and technology.

In this chapter:

• Planned Outcome 2004-05
• Outputs 2004-05
• Achieving the Outcome