U.N. weather agency launches Web site to give official forecasts

<br>GENEVA (AP) _ The United Nations launched a new Web site on Monday aimed at making it simpler to check on weather forecasts worldwide. <br><br>The site www.worldweather.org collates information from

Monday, December 9th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

GENEVA (AP) _ The United Nations launched a new Web site on Monday aimed at making it simpler to check on weather forecasts worldwide.

The site www.worldweather.org collates information from 69 national meteorological services to provide official forecasts for 680 cities, the World Meteorological Organization said.

It will give predictions for the next few days and severe weather warnings, as well as monthly climatological information for cities ranging from Helsinki, Finland to Johannesburg, South Africa.

``As the primary source of weather information it offers clear and standardized information to all Internet users, currently often bewildered by the diversity of information,'' the U.N. weather agency said in a statement.

The site was developed by the agency in cooperation with the Hong Kong Observatory and the National Meteorological Service of Hong Kong.

``International cooperation is the key for a truly global meteorological information network at the service of the international community,'' WMO Secretary-General Godwin P. Obasi said.

The organizers hope the number of cities covered by the site will grow as the project expands.

News media ``are welcome to make information presented in this Web site available to the public'' as long as they credit the responsible national meteorological service, the site says.