先週の記事（2週ぶり32回目の採用）

先週は2週間ぶりに記事採用。インフルエンザでダウンしていたので記事の掲載が遅れました。

Every day, I watch the weather forecasts on TV because I drive a motorbike or car. In Japan, weather reports were once done by government officers from the Meteorological Agency - and some times they were far from accurate.


Twenty years ago, there was a big volcanic eruption in the Kyushu islands, south-west of Japan. There were some indications of the trouble brewing, but no official announcements were issued by government authorities. As a result, about 50 people died and the disaster triggered a remarkable change in the forecasting system.

This partly led to the introduction of a state examination for weather forecasters. Now, television predictions are always done by certified forecasters who have passed the exam. Forecasts are more accurate and people have better knowledge of the weather.

In addition, we have many institutes which predict earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters.