WMO

Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP):

a Cross-Cutting Activity involving Multiple TCs and Programmes – What Next?

Alice SoaresScientific Officer, Data-processing and Forecasting Systems

Geneva, 1 February 2013

WMO; WDS

Vision for improving severe weather forecasting and warning services in developing countries “NMHSs in developing countries are able to implement and maintain reliable and effective routine forecasting and severe weather warning programmes through enhanced use of NWP products and delivery of timely and authoritative forecasts and early warnings, thereby contributing to reducing the risk of disasters from natural hazards.”

(World Meteorological Congress, 2007 and 2011)

Implemented through the Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP) “Implementation of a “Cascading Forecasting Process”, an approach that provides improved access to, and effective use by forecasters of existing and newly developed NWP/EPS products made available by advanced GDPFS Centres, national forecasting and warning services have improved significantly, with increased lead-times and greater reliability.”

(World Meteorological Congress, 2011)

WMO

Improve Severe Weather Forecasting through the “Cascading Forecasting Process” (Global to Regional to National)

Improve lead-time of Warnings

Improve interaction of NMHSs with users

Identify areas for improvement and requirements for the Basic Systems

Improve the skill of products from WMO Operational centres through feedback

SWFDP Main Goals

SWFDP Development and Implementation: a 4-step cycle

Establish regional partnerships Regional management teams; focus on forecasting and warning services of meteorological-related hazards

Plan and develop of prototype demonstration project

Regional project-specific IP for which the management team is accountable. IP describes team members’ responsibilities, project activities and milestones (typically for 12-18 months)

Implement demonstration project Tracking, continuously evaluation, training and reporting

Broaden and sustain successful prototypes (return to step 1)

Under the Guidance of the Steering Group of the SWFDP

Global NWP centres to provide available NWP/EPS and sat-based products, including in the form of probabilities, cut to the project window frame;

Regional centres to interpret information received from global centres, prepare daily guidance products (out to day-5) for NMCs, run limited-area model to refine products, maintain RSMC Web site, liaise with the participating NMCs;

NMCs to issue alerts, advisories, severe weather warnings; to liaise with user communities, and to contribute feedback and evaluation of the project;

NMCs have access to all products, and maintained responsibility and authority over national warnings and services.

5

Global Centres

User communities,

including Disaster

Management authorities

NMCsRSMC Pretoria

SWFDP Cascading Forecasting Process

Vision for the SWFDP as an end-to-end, cross-programme collaborative activity (led by the GDPFS) “that engages all WMO programmes that concern the real-time prediction of hydro-meteorological hazards, through their respective technical commissions: from observations, to information exchange, to delivery of services to the public and a range of targeted applications/user sectors, education and training, capacity development and support to LDCs, and to the transfer of relevant promising research outputs into operations.”

(World Meteorological Congress, 2011)

WMO Strategic Priorities Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity Development GFCS - Climate change adaptation

WMO

Southern Africa (ongoing; 16 countries; RSMC Pretoria, RSMC-TC La Réunion)

Southwest Pacific Islands (ongoing; 9 Island States; RSMC Wellington, RSMC-TC Fiji)

Eastern Africa (ongoing, 6 countries; RSMC Nairobi, RFSC Dar)

Southeast Asia (in development, 5 countries; RFSC Hanoi)

Bay of Bengal (in development, 6 countries; RSMC-TC New Delhi)

WMO global and regional operational centres (e.g. RSMCs) 42 NMHSs of developing countries (29 of which are LDCs/SIDSs) Several WMO programmes (i.e. GDPFS, PWS, TCP, DRR, MMO, AgM, SP, ETR,

CD, LDC, RP, and WWRP) and technical commissions (i.e. CBS, CAgM, CHy, JCOMM, and CAS)

SWFDP Regional Projects

SWFDP: a cross-cutting activity involving multiple TCs and Progs, concerning prediction of hydro-meteorological hazards

Reg

ion

al C

entr

e (R

SM

Cs

, R

FS

C,

RC

Cs

)

Glo

bal

Cen

tres

RS

MC

s-T

C

Global NWP/EPS andSat-based products

TCP

LAM & Guidance Products (risk/probability)

GDPFS

Nat

ion

al M

et C

entr

es(F

ore

ca

st/

Wa

rnin

g B

ull

eti

ns

)

PWS

Ge

ne

ral

Pu

bli

c,

me

dia

, d

isa

ste

r m

an

ag

em

en

t a

uth

ori

tie

s

Capacity Development (CD), including Training (ETR)

Feedback and Verification

PWS, HWR, WCP

Ge

ne

ral

Pu

bli

c,

me

dia

, d

isa

ste

r m

an

ag

em

en

t a

uth

ori

tie

s

Sp

ec

ific

Us

er

Se

cto

rs (

Ag

ric

ult

ure

, M

ari

ne

, A

via

tio

n,

etc

.)AgM, MMO, AeM, etc.

Satellite Imagery

and Tools

SP

Tailored Forecasting Products for Specialized

ApplicationsAgM, MMO,

AeM, WCP, etc.

WW

RP

Research Projects

Flash Flood Guidance

HWR

Reg

ion

al C

entr

e (R

SM

Cs

, R

FS

C,

RC

Cs

)

Observing and

information systems

WIG

OS

, WIS

WMO Sustain/strengthen existing RSMCs Expanding the role of existing RSMCs-TC Establish new regional centres

Infrastructure (development and maintaining the Website) Global and regional guidance Global and Regional Training Desks (in addition to the

annual training) National IPs (uptake of NWP/EPS and sat-based products

into weather forecasting daily routines of the forecasters and user engagement)

Continuous development - introduce new products and increase use of NWP/EPS in applications of meteorology (Cascading Forecasting Process)

SWFDP Regional Centres

WMO

Successful recipe – real benefits to developing and least developed countries

High impact, cost effective Visible operational results – increased visibility, credibility and value of

meteorological services Management framework at regional level (partnerships): collective

needs, motivation, buy-on, ownership, continuous learning environment

Accelerated technology transfer from advanced global centres to less capable national centres through the “Cascading Forecasting Process”

Increased role of the regional centres in downscaling and tailoring products for practical use by NMHSs

Model/framework can be applied to any time-scales and a range of applications/user sectors

SWFDP – Lessons learnt

WMO

SWFDP – Resources

Regular budget: GDPFS financially supported the SWFDP-related events, including training, while a number of WMO Programmes (e.g. ETR, PWS, TCP, SAT, AgM, WWRP) have collaboratively provided limited funds to support expert participation at some of the SWFDP-related meetings

Support from advanced global centres that provide NWP/EPS and satellite-based products, and the backbone roles played by the regional centres are critical components for the implementation of the SWFDP, which represent in-kind contributions by WMO Members

Extra-budgetary funds from WMO Members, and donor agencies (e.g. World Bank, etc.)

Staff: DPFS (responsible for the overall project), with the collaboration of PWS and AgM

Future directions and role of the SWFDP

More countries, new regions (over 100 countries: developing and least developed countries) ~ 12 RSMCs

Hydro-meteorological hazards Sector-specific hazards (e.g.

agriculture, marine, etc.) Beyond day-5

Vehicle to collect and convey the evolving requirements for the Basic Systems, including to WIGOS and WIS, in the target countries

Vehicle for introducing promising R&D

Cross-programme guidance Regular budget and extrabudgetary

resourses

Project Office

What next?

Assist in sustaining the linkages between regional and national centres in their geographical regions; and global to regional

Build upon the lessons learnt through the SWFDP

Increase, the capacity of NMHSs in developing and least developing countries to deliver weather, climate and hydrological forecasting and warning services

Consolidate the SWFDP into sustainable operational services (e.g through an ongoing programme to strengthen WMO Operational Centres, particularly RSMCs and RCCs) – aligned with the WMO Capacity Development Strategy (Objective 5)

www.wmo.int

Thank you for your attention

DISCUSSION