Servizio Meteorologico
The Italian Meteorological Service is an organizational unit of the Italian Air Force (Servizio Meteorologico dell'Aeronautica Militare), and as such, the national meteorological service in Italy. The weather forecasts and other services serve both the armed forces and the general public.
Organization
Unlike almost all other national meteorological services, the historical development in Italy has led to it being within the armed forces. On the one hand this avoids duplication between government civilian and military weather services. On the other military priorities entail disadvantages in comparison to purely civilian organizations, especially in the field of international cooperation.
The Italian Air Force Weather Service reports to a department at the General Staff of the Air Force in Rome. They are also responsible for planning and policy matters to promote international cooperation through the World Meteorological Organization.
The headquarters of the Meteorological Service is located on the military airport Pratica di Mare near Rome. Here the key information processing takes place and the distribution of analysis and forecasts on military, civil aviation, maritime, civil defense and other authorities and users, as well as the mass media.
There are three sub offices:
- At the Milan Linate airport (Regional Center of Northern Italy, Avalanche special Team SAR "METEOMONT" in cooperation with the Army Mountain Troops Command and the Forest Guards),
- In Vigna di Valle, near Rome (quality assurance, certification, testing and research, mobile weather stations for military operations abroad, Climatological weather observations at 41 stations),
- 84 manned and 110 automatic weather stations, transmit their data back to the headquarters. In addition, there is a special meteorological department of the Ministry of Agriculture.