Pacific International Training Desk

Pacific International Training Desk The course materials will be distributed via an online course management system or on USB flash drives for local offline viewing.

The Pacific International Training Desk, a partnership between NOAA-NWS International Affairs Office (IAO) and the University of Hawai’i TASI providing training and technical capacity development for weather observers in the Pacific Region. ◾Ensure candidates are adequately prepared for study of basic meteorology and have a fundamental understanding of complementary subjects as outlines in the BIP-MT requirements
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
◾Demonstrate a fundamental understanding of general atmospheric variables, physics, and dynamics relevant to tropical meteorological operations
◾Demonstrate a fundamental understanding of tropical weather/climate features and their global role
◾Demonstrate a fundamental understanding of the weather-forecasting process, from analysis to verification
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
◾eLearning Prerequisite Course: Intended for forecasters who want to attend the in-person training in Honolulu. Quizzes and assessments will be conducted via an online eCourse Management System. The prerequisite course must be completed as part of the application process. Candidates with sufficient documented education and experience in tropical meteorology topics may be invited to an abbreviated Pre-requisite Course.
◾On-Site Training: A four-week-long in-person training will be held in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, at the National Weather Service Forecast Office on the University of Hawai‘i – M­ānoa campus. As before, the program will provide students’ travel, lodging, per diem, and a laptop computer. In addition to meteorology training, the on-site program includes a unit on weather-related communication systems and content management programs to raise awareness and develop capacity for utilization of tools that are readily available in the region.
◾Advanced Workshops: Regional, in-country workshops will be held periodically on a variety of specialized forecast topics including aviation meteorology, tropical cyclones, tsunami and marine forecasting, and severe-weather messaging strategies.

We are excited to have representatives from Fiji Meteorological Service, Sāmoa Meteorological Service, and Vanuatu Meteo...
09/07/2026

We are excited to have representatives from Fiji Meteorological Service, Sāmoa Meteorological Service, and Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department here with us this month for a Level-1 Cohort.

2026 Cohort 2 has been busy with their first week of training, but also witnessing tropical-cyclone preparations and predictions as Hurricane Lowell approaches the western end of the island group (no direct impacts from the center here - just some gusty wind and rain expected for them on O'ahu today and tonight). We fast-forwarded into TC and NWP content amid the usual thermodynamics and satellite interpretation material of Week 1. They have had tours of the forecast floor, did many hands-on exercises with sounding data and satellite imagery, and were part the office's highest-attended map discussion on Friday ahead of Lowell's arrival. We are looking forward to a more "normal" schedule for the rest of their program, but a strong El Nino's effect on the central Pacific may continue to keep us on our toes!

Recently, our PITD team—Principal Investigator Dr. Christina Higa and Director Dr. Gingerlei Porter—had the privilege of...
07/06/2026

Recently, our PITD team—Principal Investigator Dr. Christina Higa and Director Dr. Gingerlei Porter—had the privilege of visiting the Fiji Meteorological Service in Nadi.

Fiji's weather history is being preserved for the future! 🌦️🌴
We got an exclusive look at their Data Rescue and Digitization Unit. Did you know this team is working to save and digitize over 1 MILLION weather logs, charts, and images? 🤯 These records represent more than 140 years of Fiji’s climate history!

This massive preservation effort directly supports national climate services, helping experts understand the past to better protect the future.

Our 2026 training year got underway this month, as we welcomed two participants from Kiribati Meteorological Service to ...
05/27/2026

Our 2026 training year got underway this month, as we welcomed two participants from Kiribati Meteorological Service to Honolulu for Level 1 Training, which they successfully completed. Congratulations to Maunana Eritane and Kaiekieki Taona - we wish them well as they return home to apply what they have learned! Ho'omaika'i!

The course covered Introductory Tropical Meteorology topics, including: Thermodynamics; Satellite Interpretation; Surface and Upper-Air Analysis; General Circulation; Local Circulations; Tropical Weather Features; Numerical Weather Prediction; Forecast Philosophy; Forecast Verification; Marine Forecasts; Tsunamis; Severe Weather and Tropical Cyclones; Tropical Climate Variability; and Messaging and Weather Communications.

We were joined by representatives from Keio University and SOI Pacific , and look forward to continued partnership with them on Pacific projects.

Mahalo nui to the US National Weather Service Honolulu & Central Pacific Hurricane Center, US National Weather Service Pago Pago American Samoa, and NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center meteorologists for spending time with our participants - including some very active weather days. We extend gratitude also to Jennifer Robbins at Hawaii News Now for welcoming our cohort and showing how our media partners take weather information the last kilometer to our communities.

We look forward to future collaborations with the SOI Pacific team!
05/27/2026

We look forward to future collaborations with the SOI Pacific team!

02/07/2026
12/19/2025

Unable to join us live yesterday for our webinar? View the recording of all our webinars anytime on our YouTube channel:

This playlist includes all Pacific Desk Webinars since 2020. Webinar #1 on Hurricane Douglas can also be found here: https://register.gotowebinar.com/recordi...

PITD is pleased to announce the return of our webinar series with a presentation on emerging marine observation platform...
12/16/2025

PITD is pleased to announce the return of our webinar series with a presentation on emerging marine observation platforms and networks.

Join us THIS WEEK (Thursday, 18 December 2025 Noon HST/2200 UTC) for presentations by our guests Nicole Guiles and Meagan Hattori (PacIOOS/Backyard Buoys) and Dr. Teddy Allen (Henet).

Pre-registration is required here: https://uhtasi.zoom.us/meeting/register/QlvlbcIMRGGREIEPykMj0g #/registration

Partnership is core to the work we do in building capacity for meteorological services in the Pacific Region. Chatty Bee...
11/22/2025

Partnership is core to the work we do in building capacity for meteorological services in the Pacific Region. Chatty Beetle deployment and utilization in the Pacific spans two decades and still going strong and relevant especially in times of disasters like the recent the Tonga Volcanic eruption in 2022. Lets keep the network going with training and operationalizing CB!

We are so pleased to welcome our first 2025 cohort to Honolulu! This hybrid Level-1 cohort has been working online since...
08/21/2025

We are so pleased to welcome our first 2025 cohort to Honolulu! This hybrid Level-1 cohort has been working online since June and is almost finished with their first on-site week. Five participants from the Papua New Guinea NWS, Fiji Meteorological Service, and Cook Islands Meteorological Service are building on their earlier online training this week, learning streamline techniques, numerical weather prediction, marine forecasting, and real-time weather analysis.

2/5 CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
02/06/2025

2/5 CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

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