Veteran Meteorologist to Receive OD on October 19

For nearly four decades, the expertise of Evan Thompson has helped steer Jamaica through the uncertainties of a tropical climate.

Now, as the Principal Director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Mr. Thompson’s devotion to public service has earned him one of the nation’s highest recognitions – the Order of Distinction in the Rank of Officer (OD), for service to meteorology, climate resilience and public safety.

He will receive this award at the National Honours and Awards Ceremony scheduled for King’s House on National Heroes Day, October 19.

The Principal Director tells JIS News that he views the award as a personal and professional honour, though it was unexpected.

“I’m particularly honoured because I hear the comments, the commendations coming from a wide cross-section of the society… so, I just feel that this is not just a recognition that is coming from the heights of government where somebody up top is looking and saying, ‘Okay, you deserve this now, so let me give this to you’. I feel that it is more coming from the people who are the ones whom I have attempted to serve all these years. So that is particularly encouraging and maybe humbling for me,” Mr. Thompson says.

Professionally, he points out that the award is more meaningful, as he does not recall a member of staff or director at the Met Service receiving this recognition.

“I receive it on behalf of all of them, who I believe have been doing a similar job as I have done over the years. They have always sought to bring visibility to meteorology and to perform their tasks of meeting the needs of the population with respect to public safety,” he says.

Mr. Thompson’s journey into meteorology began unexpectedly during fifth form at Excelsior High School, when a visiting member of the Met Service gave a career talk to students.

This talk ignited a spark, aligning perfectly with Mr. Thompson’s subjects, and setting him on a trajectory from Excelsior Community College to university where he pursued a degree in meteorology.

Throughout his career, Mr. Thompson was never driven by titles or political ambition. Instead, his guiding principle was a steadfast commitment to service and an unshakeable Christian faith.

“I believe service has always been at my heart. I’ve never sought to be a leader. I’ve always been comfortable just doing the job that is before me and delivering on what I’m being asked to deliver,” Mr. Thompson shares.

“But at the same time, I’ve always been motivated by my own personal Christian faith, because I am a Christian. I have always believed that God has chosen this work for me to do, because there is an impact that He wants me to make in this area,” he adds.

As climate change accelerates globally, Mr. Thompson has played a central, communicative role in building Jamaica’s resilience from climate threats.

Through his years as a familiar face on television with weather forecasts, his work on the national Climate Change Advisory Board and his involvement with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Mr. Thompson has made it his mission to turn complex scientific data into accessible, actionable wisdom.

While he credits the public with becoming far more informed and vocal about climate threats, he notes that turning knowledge into concrete action still presents a challenge.

“When it comes to taking climate action, I think we’re a bit slow to do it. I think we need a kind of handholding sometimes… . I think we need more things institutionally set up to encourage people a little bit more and to kind of help them to make an easier transition from where they have been to where they know they need to be,” Mr. Thompson says.

He notes, however, that Jamaicans have started to make moves in building national climate resilience, including increased use of renewable energy such as solar power and embracing electric vehicles.

“I think some of these things are helping, and so we are demonstrating that the knowledge is starting to make its way to our legs for us to actually take some kind of action,” the Principal Director argues.

Playing his part in keeping pace with the changing climate threats, Mr. Thompson points out that the Met Service has used technology to modernise its approach to multi-hazard early warning systems.

Some efforts include upgrading the Met Service website to communicate information and warning messages, launching the Jamaica Weather application, so the public can have access to real-time advisories via mobile devices, leveraging international satellite partnerships to support accurate local forecasting, modern radar technology at Cooper’s Hill, and expanding the network of over 100 automatic weather stations across the island.

Meanwhile, Mr. Thompson notes that the Met Service is also exploring other innovative solutions such as utilising 3D printing technology to construct automatic weather stations, alongside plans to deploy ocean buoys to gather offshore marine data.

However, this represents only a fraction of Mr. Thompson’s critical responsibilities.

Communicating severe weather and hurricane threats carries high stakes, where public panic is a constant risk.

Yet, the Principal Director’s calm demeanour and clear articulation consistently deliver a sense of reassurance and stability.

“I think there are some talents, some gifts that I have been given that I’ve been able to utilise. I think communication is one of those gifts… . And I have been given many opportunities to do that in doing broadcast meteorology on television for a number of years, that helped,” Mr. Thompson explains.

“Then again, the situations with hurricanes, the numerous severe weather situations that we’ve gone through, I have had to be at the centre of all of it… and I think that with the experience, there has come some amount of maturity that I don’t react with anxiety or with any kind of nervousness when I’m approaching the public to give them information,” he adds.

Mr. Thompson does not obsess over distant, grand goals, instead he focuses entirely on excellence in the present moment.

“They say wherever you are planted, you should bloom. And that is what I try to do, just bloom wherever I’m planted and do the best that I can. So, if it happens that I’m moved to another level or I’m given particular awards or accolades or titles or whatever it is, so be it. The aim is really just to do the job and to do it well,” he says.