Those who "monitor the sky and measure the waters"

In the darkness of night, amidst the sound of falling rain and the rising river levels, the observers of the Tuyen Quang Provincial Meteorological and Hydrological Station silently "monitor the sky and measure the water," quietly recording every number and transmitting every stream of data to the central office. Behind this quiet demeanor lies a great responsibility for each observation number, each forecast bulletin, and the safety of the community in the face of natural disasters.

Working while everyone else is resting.

One o'clock in the morning. Everyone was asleep, the streets quiet after a long day. But at the meteorological stations, the lights in the control rooms were still on. Outside, the rain continued to fall steadily in the night. The observer, wearing a raincoat and hat, stepped out of the control room, carrying a rain gauge and a notebook under his arm, shining a flashlight towards the small road leading to the station's garden; another man held a water level measuring stick by the riverbank.

After a few minutes of observation, reading the data, measuring, carefully recording it in a notebook, and immediately transmitting the data to the center, this work takes place in the dark of night, amidst rain and wind, and is repeated regularly with each measurement session. This is a familiar part of the work of meteorologists and hydrologists – those who monitor and measure meteorological and hydrological factors day and night to serve the work of forecasting and warning of natural disasters.

Forecasters record data at meteorological observation stations.

For many people, a weather forecast is just a few brief lines of information: whether it will rain or be sunny tomorrow, what the temperature will be, and the likelihood of thunderstorms or heavy rain. But behind that brief information lies an entire monitoring and forecasting system operating continuously 24 hours a day.

At meteorological and hydrological stations, observers conduct measurements according to proper technical procedures: measuring temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind, clouds, river water levels, flow rates, etc. These seemingly simple numbers are crucial data for forecasters to analyze, evaluate, and issue forecast bulletins. This work has no days off. While many families gather for holidays and festivals, shifts at meteorological and hydrological stations continue as usual.

During periods of heavy rain and storms, the workload increases significantly. Observers must constantly check equipment, monitor weather developments, and ensure that data is transmitted to the center promptly and accurately. Every observational data point is crucial for disaster forecasting and warning. Even during complex disaster situations, meteorological and hydrological stations maintain a 24/7 on-call system. Data on rainfall, water levels, and wind speeds are continuously updated, becoming an important basis for specialized agencies to issue timely forecasts and warnings.

Quiet, but indispensable!

Many people believe that work in meteorology and hydrology is quite "easy." However, in reality, behind that quiet exterior lies immense responsibility for every observation, every forecast, and the safety of the community in the face of natural disasters. The work of meteorologists and hydrologists rarely appears in the media. They work quietly, at observation stations located along rivers, on mountaintops, hills, or in remote areas. But whenever storms arrive, heavy rains occur, or floods rise, the measurements they take and the forecasts they produce become incredibly important.

Forecasters prepare to measure water flow on the Lo River.

In the darkness of night, amidst the sound of falling rain and the rising river, there are still people quietly recording numbers and transmitting data to the central monitoring station. And when the city is asleep, when many are resting peacefully, lights still shine brightly in the night. There, meteorological and hydrological workers are silently "monitoring the sky and measuring the water," contributing to making society more proactive in the face of natural disasters.

Celebrating World Water Day (March 22) and World Meteorological Day (March 23, 2026) with the message "Monitor today, protect tomorrow," emphasizing the role of global monitoring systems; each of us understands even more that every number recorded today is the foundation for tomorrow's safety.

On this occasion, we wish the Vietnamese meteorological and hydrological sector continued strong development, modernization, accuracy, and timeliness, making increasingly important contributions to the safety and sustainable development of the country.

Le Thi Ha
Tuyen Quang Provincial Meteorological and Hydrological Station

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/xa-hoi/202603/nhung-nguoi-canh-troi-do-nuoc-3234164/