WMO was created in 1950 as an intergovernmental organization. It became a specialized agency of the United Nations, in 1951, for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.

• WMO is the UN system‘s authoritative voice on weather, climate and water.
• Its secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland and is headed by the Secretary-General. 
• Through its members, WMO provides forecasts and early warnings to nations, which help prevent and mitigate disasters. 
• WMO monitors and forecast the transport of chemical and oil spills, forest fires, volcanic ash, haze and nuclear isotopes.
• It also draws world attention to the depletion of the ozone layer. 
• The Climate Centre at Indian Meteorological Department, Pune has recently been recognized as the Regional Climate Centre by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for providing regional climate services to South Asian countries.