China Unveils Five-Year Plan to Upgrade Integrated Meteorological Network

China's State Council has approved the 15th Five-Year Plan for the National Integrated Meteorological Observation System, jointly published by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). Covering 2026 through 2030, the policy establishes a coordinated framework across 14 government ministries and four central state-owned enterprises. Key targets for 2030 include reaching an 85 percent meteorological disaster monitoring rate, extending local severe weather warning lead times past 50 minutes, and raising observation data accuracy to 98 percent.

The plan outlines China's meteorological infrastructure roadmap for 2026–2030. Beyond traditional disaster prevention, it formally integrates emerging economic sectors—such as the low-altitude economy, transportation, and agriculture—into the national weather monitoring matrix, establishing foundational support for high-quality economic development.

Chinese authorities have released a comprehensive blueprint to modernize the nation's weather monitoring infrastructure over the 2026–2030 period, according to state media reports. Approved by the State Council, the National Integrated Meteorological Observation System Construction 15th Five-Year Plan was jointly issued by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). The policy establishes target metrics to be achieved by 2030, including raising the national meteorological disaster monitoring rate to 85 percent, increasing observation data accuracy to 98 percent, and extending warning lead times for local severe convective weather to over 50 minutes. A core focus of the plan is resolving structural fragmentation across government bodies. Historically, weather monitoring facilities operated by different sectors suffered from inconsistent technical standards and restricted data sharing, according to official statements cited by Xinhua. To address these issues, the plan introduces a "five unifieds" framework—covering unified planning layout, technical standards, data collection, operation and maintenance specifications, and resource sharing. This mechanism brings together 14 government ministries and four major state-owned enterprises to build an integrated observation network. The upgraded system intends to expand monitoring beyond traditional atmospheric measurements to encompass multi-sphere Earth system observation. On land, the layout of weather radars, ground stations, and atmospheric vertical sounders will be optimized around high-risk regions vulnerable to heavy rain, flash floods, and severe convection. Environmental monitoring will also be bolstered at national climate observatories and atmospheric baseline stations in ecological zones such as the Qilian Mountains, Northeast forest belts, and Northern sand prevention belts. Furthermore, the plan ties weather monitoring capabilities directly to industrial needs. It calls for building a backbone meteorological observation network to support the low-altitude economy, alongside targeted improvements for agriculture, transportation, and inland waterways. To accelerate data delivery, the plan emphasizes intelligent transformations in data collection and processing, leveraging multi-source equipment—including satellites, drones, and radars—for real-time disaster monitoring.