Chapter III Monitoring, Forecasting and Early Warning

Article 28 The local people's governments at or above the county level shall establish mobile meteorological disaster monitoring facilities for emergency responses, set up emergency monitoring teams and improve the meteorological disaster monitoring system in light of the needs for prevention of and preparedness for meteorological disasters.

The local people's governments at or above the county level shall integrate and improve the meteorological disaster monitoring information networks and share information resources.

Article 29 The competent meteorological institutions at various levels and their subordinate weather stations shall improve the severe weather forecasting systems, and improve accuracy and time validity of the severe weather forecasts and warnings.

Weather stations subordinate to the competent meteorological institutions at various levels, those subordinate to other departments, and units related to the severe weather monitoring and forecasting shall, in light of the needs for prevention of and preparedness for meteorological disasters and in compliance with their functions and duties, monitor severe weather, and timely provide to the competent meteorological institutions and the competent departments for disaster prevention, preparedness, rescue and relief the information about rainfall, flood, wind, drought, etc.

The competent meteorological institutions at various levels shall, in light of the needs for prevention of and preparedness for meteorological disasters, make arrangements for joint trans-regional and inter-departmental monitoring of the meteorological disasters, focusing on densely populated areas, major agricultural production zones, geological disaster-prone areas, major river basins, forests, grasslands, fishing grounds as major target areas for meteorological disaster monitoring.

Article 30 The weather stations subordinate to the competent meteorological institutions at various levels shall, in compliance with their functions and duties, release the unified severe weather warnings and meteorological disaster early-warning signals to the society, and timely notify the competent departments for disaster prevention, preparedness, rescue and relief. No other organizations or individuals shall release such warnings and signals to the society.

The types and categories of meteorological disaster early-warning signals shall be determined by the competent meteorological institution of the State Council.

Article 31 The media, such as radio, television, newspaper and telecommunications, shall timely broadcast to the society or publish severe weather warnings and meteorological disaster early-warning signals provided by the weather stations subordinate to the local competent meteorological institutions as appropriate, and shall timely add, insert or publish the above information as requested by the local meteorological offices.

Article 32 The local people's governments at or above the county level shall establish and improve the meteorological disaster early-warning information system and, in light of the needs for prevention of and preparedness for meteorological disasters, establish facilities to receive and broadcast severe weather warnings and the meteorological disaster warning signals in densely populated areas and the disaster-prone sites like transport hubs and public places, and ensure the normal operation of the aforementioned facilities.

The township (town) people's governments and neighborhood offices shall designate special staff to assist the competent meteorological institutions and the civil affairs departments in publicity of the knowledge about prevention of and preparedness for meteorological disasters, in emergency liaison, information delivery, disaster reporting and investigation of the disasters in this regard.

Article 33 The competent meteorological institutions at various levels shall well carry out the monitoring, forecasting and early warning of solar storms, space storms of the Earth and other hazards related to space weather.