Czech Hydrometeorological Institute

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) is the central public institution of the Czech Republic responsible for air quality, hydrology, water quality, climatology, and meteorology.

Main CHMI Activities and Responsibilities

Providing forecasts and public weather-related warnings.
Operating national monitoring networks using state-of-the-art technology to track the state of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, including sources of air pollution.
Expertly process the observed data.
Creating and maintaining national databases.
Coordinating and conducting research and scientific activities.

CHMI Organizational Structure

CHMI employs more than 650 professionals across five main divisions: Meteorology & Climatology, Air Quality, Hydrology, Information Technology, and Finance & Administration. The institute operates seven regional offices and other specialized facilities.

International Engagement
CHMI serves as the Czech Republic’s official representative to international organizations including:

WMO (World Meteorological Organization)
ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts)
EUMETSAT (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites)
IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Since 1990, the IPCC has published periodic global Assessment Reports on climate science
UNESCO-IHP (International Hydrological Programme)
International river basin commissions such as ICPDR, ICPER, and ICPO
EEA (European Environmental Agency) in particular: EIONET (European Environment Information and Observation Network) and ETC HE (European Topic Centre on Human Health and the Environment)

Weather Prediction and Modeling

CHMI has been an active member of the ALADIN consortium since 1991, contributing to the development of its numerical weather prediction system. In 2021, ALADIN joined forces with HIRLAM to form the ACCORD initiative, comprising 26 countries. CHMI is also a member of RC LACE, supporting regional collaboration in weather forecasting operations and research.

Infrastructure and Data Services

CHMI operates a nationwide observation network covering:

Meteorology (including weather radars)
Hydrology (including surface water and groundwater quantity/quality, and snow)
Air quality (pollutants and atmospheric deposition composition)

The Solar and Ozone Laboratory contributes unique data to the GAW program. CHMI’s Brewer spectrophotometer is the second calibration standard in Europe. Since August 2021, an additional Brewer instrument has been operational in Iceland.
CHMI maintains national databases containing real-time and historical data from its monitoring networks. These datasets are freely available to the public and considered public sector information for use, redistribution, and processing.