More than just tomorrow’s forecast

• Provides a weather warning service (thunderstorms, severe storms, hail, etc.)
• Forecasts forest fires
• Safeguards air travel and sea navigation
• Monitors radioactivity and ozone concentrations in the stratosphere
• Determines current hazards due to UV radiation (www.uv-index.de)
• Records and documents meteorological data. Retrospective data can be required, for example, in the case of insurance damage claims.
• Advisory services for farmers and for companies that are, for example, investigating new sites for solar plants or wind power installations
• Provides relevant data for international climatic research
• Exchanges data with other weather services around the world
• Cooperates in international programs and organizations, such as the European weather satellite (EUMETSAT). Also a member of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In this connection, the DWD has assumed the role of the European center for certain special forecasts or also for the Global Precipitation Climatology Center.

The direct earnings of the DWD do not completely cover the costs. However, international studies commissioned by weather services have calculated a cost- benefit ratio of 1:20. This means that each euro invested in a weather service helps save 20 euros somewhere else – for example, by avoiding storm damage thanks to early warnings.