Through the Enhancing Meteorological Networks Partnership (EMNP), FEWS NET, in collaboration with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) COMET program and the University of California Santa Barbara Climate Hazards Center (CHC), is helping local meteorological agencies fabricate, install, and maintain low-cost 3D-Printed Automatic Weather Stations (3D-PAWS), while also enhancing these countries’ meteorological services.

The expansion of 3D-PAWS networks in Southern Africa is already improving real-time monitoring of rainfall and temperature extremes. In Zimbabwe, for example, newly deployed stations have strengthened local capacity to verify heavy rainfall events and dry spells during the agricultural season, providing ground-truth data to support national advisories and FEWS NET’s food security analysis. These stations have increased the number of rapidly accessible stations from zero in 2024 to around 45 in 2026.

Read the full press release here.