The International Meteorological Institute in Stockholm (IMI) was originally created in 1955 under the leadership of Carl-Gustaf Rossby to promote international scientific co-operation within the atmospheric, oceanic and climate sciences and closely related fields.  Today IMI is an independent entity hosted by the Department of Meteorology at Stockholm University The institute is governed by a Governing Board, while the daily activities are overseen by the Director Jörg Gumbel.

The most important function of the institute is to provide support for scientific visits in Sweden, hosted primarily at Stockholm University but also at other institutions in Sweden. Visits can be short--a few days or up to two weeks--and normally include a seminar by the guest. Longer visits--up to several months--can also be possible subject to available funding; in this case the visiting scientist may also participate in graduate student supervison, give a research seminar series or participate in graduate-level teaching. IMI also supports workshops and conferences at Stockholm University on topics within its target scientific areas.

IMI is also responsible for the international scientific journal Tellus and hosts the journal's editorial office. The journal is divided into two series: Tellus A focusing on dynamic meteorology and physical oceanography and Tellus B focusing on chemical and physical meteorology.