In a notice posted on its website, the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS), has said it is set to close at the end of 2016 after SportScotland, the Scottish Government sporting body, “withdraws funding and walks away from a key mountain forecast collaboration project”.
Geoff Monk, lead forecaster at MWIS said: “The funding withdrawal by SportScotland, following their previous decision to collaborate with MWIS (together with the Met Office), was a real shock and jeopardises the safety of those who use the mountains every day. All we want is for MWIS to continue to provide a consistent, quality service so that mountain users can enjoy the mountains safely, fully aware of what the weather will throw at them.
“MWIS has a stable, long-term future and the service will continue to be enhanced provided funding continues. We are asking SportScotland to come back to the negotiating table and commit to the continued funding of MWIS so its long-term future is secured.”
In recent years the Met Office has provided its own rival Mountain Weather Forecasts, split into 2 areas covering Scotland rather than the 5 areas covered by the MWIS.
Update:
SportScotland have released the following statement, ““This is a disappointing and misleading claim by Geoff Monk at the MWIS. Investment into MWIS continues until the end of this year and we have been involved in collaboration discussions for over a year with the Met Office and Geoff about building a resilient and development-focused mountain weather forecast provision for Scotland together.
“sportscotland has been investing in mountain weather provision since 2007 and this investment has established bespoke mountain weather forecasts as a critical part of risk evaluation for those who want to participate in outdoor activities in the Scottish mountains.
“Lines of communications with MWIS have always been open and remain so. sportscotland’s priority is to ensure there is a sustainable mountain forecast for Scotland through the provision of reliable, authoritative forecasts, which are relevant to outdoor activities and enable forecast users to make informed judgements about their chosen activities. This is precisely what we will deliver and we will ensure there is a continuity of this service.”