National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology NCHM (Bhutan)

Overview

The National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) is Bhutan's autonomous national meteorological and hydrological service, operating under the Royal Government of Bhutan. It is the country's designated focal point for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and it delivers weather forecasts, climate services, cryosphere monitoring, and water resources information to government agencies and the public.

History and Founding

The NCHM was established in January 2016, following a recommendation from the Royal Civil Service Commission's Organization Development exercise conducted in August 2014. The cabinet formally approved the Center's creation on December 11, 2015, during its 92nd Lhyengye Zhungtsog meeting, reorganizing the former Department of Hydro-met Services (DHMS) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs into the new autonomous center. NCHM was formally delinked from the Ministry of Economic Affairs effective February 1, 2017.

Services and Data

NCHM's Weather and Climate Services portal provides real-time weather observations, seasonal climate outlooks, glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) early warnings, snow and glacier monitoring data, and hydrological records. Bhutan's mountainous terrain makes it highly vulnerable to extreme weather events, and NCHM's data archive plays a critical role in disaster risk reduction and water resource management. The center operates a network of meteorological and hydrological monitoring stations across the country.

Access

NCHM's online services are publicly accessible through its website at nchm.gov.bt. Data products and climate services are available to government planners, researchers, and the public, with select datasets downloadable for research purposes.