Climate Hazards Center

Across much of the world, the number of weather stations has declined over the past several decades, limiting the data needed for accurate drought monitoring and early warning systems.

We are pleased to share great progress across southern Africa.

Through a collaboration with NSF NCAR & UCAR COMET/MetEd and FEWS NET the deployment and installation of low-cost easy-to-maintain 3D-PAWS weather stations has expanded across southern Africa.

Joints efforts with Meteorological Services Department of Zimbabwe have seen the number of stations increase from zero in 2024 to 45 in 2026.

In Malawi, a recent two-week training on 3D-PAWS concluded with the installation of two operational stations, with the plans to install 25 by the end of 2026.

In Madagascar, an initial two-week 3D-PAWS fabrication training is scheduled for August 2026 to begin establishing a locally managed observation network.

3D-PAWS components can be fabricated locally, which provides a sustainable, scalable solution that strengthens the capacity of National Meteorological Agencies.

Read more about this work here: https://fews.net/fews-net-initiative-enhances-local-weather-monitoring-southern-africa