ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee WGH held its 14th Annual Meeting in Guam, USA
Referring to the decision of the 57th Session of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee (TC), the 14th Annual meeting of TC Working Group on Hydrology (WGH) was hosted jointly by National Weather Service, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Guam, USA and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan from 23 to 25 September 2025 in Guam, USA.
The working meeting was chaired by WGH chairperson Mr. Mamoru MIYAMOTO, and attended by 34 participants in total from 10 out of 14 Members of the Typhoon Committee, namely: China; Japan; Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR); Malaysia; the Philippines; Republic of Korea; Singapore; Thailand; USA and Viet Nam. Typhoon Committee Secretariat (TCS) also participated in the meeting in person.
The proposed theme of the meeting is “Strategic Action for a Resilient Tomorrow: Strengthening Interagency Coordination and Data-Driven, Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems to Address Typhoon Impacts”. The meeting reviewed and presented the status, achievements and progresses in hydrological components in Members in 2025; reviewed the implementation status and progresses of WGH Annual Operating Plans (AOPs) in 2025; discussed the implementation plan and success indicators for WGH AOPs for 2026; discussed the hydrological contribution to the 20th Integrated Workshop/High-level Forum TC 58th Annual Session.
The meeting invited 4 keynote speakers, including: (1) Ms. BRUNTY Jessica, P.E., Civil Engineer (Hydraulics), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Honolulu District [Virtual]; (2) Dr. YEO Chris (Myeong-Ho), Ph.D., P.E., Associate Professor of Water Engineering & Hydrology, Chair of the Environmental Science Graduate Program, University of Guam; (3) Dr. HABANA Nathan C., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Groundwater Hydrology, University of Guam; and (4) Mr. MARUYAMA Kazuki, Director for International Coordination of River Engineering, Water and Disaster Management Bureau, MLIT.
The meeting accepted the generous offer from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), Malaysia, to host the 15th WGH Annual Meeting in Malaysia in the second or third week of September 2026, co-hosted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Japan.
The meeting also discussed ideas of new AOPs for WGH for next years. DID Malaysia expressed its willingness to lead AOPs under WGH platform.
The participants also visited the Guam Weather Forecast Office of the National Weather Service (NWS).