The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) collects weather data across the country every hour, Head of the Central Analysis and Forecasting Office Felicity Ahafianyo has revealed, highlighting the continuous work that goes into keeping Ghanaians informed about the weather.
Speaking on Good Afternoon Ghana on Metro TV on Monday, December 1, 2025, Madam Ahafianyo explained that the public often thinks the Agency only forecasts rain or sunshine, but GMet’s work goes far beyond that.
“Most people think that our mandate is only to go out, watch the sky, and then come and tell them that it’s going to rain or it’s going to be sunny. But then we do more than that,” she said.
Madam Ahafianyo said the Agency is responsible for collecting, archiving, and making meteorological data available to researchers, while also producing short-, medium-, and long-term weather forecasts.
She said observers across the country collect data every hour, measuring temperature, wind speed and direction, cloud types and heights, rainfall amounts, and dew point temperatures.
“Every hour, as we are speaking… the observer is on the field at our enclosure, taking the readings…and then send it to us. So as a forecaster, we pick this data together with the global weather forecasting system, and then we come up with the forecast,” she explained.
The daily forecasts are issued three times a day – at 5 am, 11 am., and 5 pm. The morning release covers the whole day, while the afternoon and evening updates provide revisions to the earlier forecasts based on new observations.
Mrs. Felicity Ahafianyo said this constant monitoring is necessary because weather conditions are never static.
“Every minute, the surface pressure may decrease, may increase. The wind speed and direction may change. The humidity in the air mass can also change. The energy, the sun…for that air mass to rise, to form a cloud can also change at any time. So that is why we update,” she said.
She also noted that if a storm is approaching from neighboring countries, GMet issues weather warnings to alert the public.
The Chief Forecaster said this continuous data collection and forecasting is critical for Ghana, from guiding farmers on planting schedules to supporting aviation and managing water resources.
