Status and Plans of the SWFDP – Severe Weather Forecasting Development Project

1. Status and Plans of the SWFDP – Severe Weather Forecasting Development Project Ken Mylne Chair DPFS (Data-processing and Forecasting Systems) & Chair SWFDP SG WMO; WDS

2. 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 Development 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)

3. SWFDP Main Goals 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

4. SWFDP Cascading Forecasting Process User communities, including Disaster Management authorities Global Centres RSMC Pretoria NMCs 5 Global NWPcentres 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. SWFDP Guidance Products from RSMC Pretoria RSMC analysis forecast information Guidance every day for the next 5 days Hazards: heavy rain, strong wind, high seas and swell, severe winter weather Guidance info made available through dedicated Webpage to NMCs Links to RSMC La Réunion TC forecasting

6. Tailored Forecasting Products for Specialized Applications AgM, MMO, AeM, WCP, etc. Flash Flood Guidance HWR Feedback and Verification General Public, media, disaster management authorities General Public, media, disaster management authorities PWS, HWR, WCP PWS Global NWP/EPS and Sat-based products National Met Centres (Forecast/Warning Bulletins) Regional Centre (RSMCs, RFSC, RCCs) Global Centres LAM & Guidance Products (risk/probability) Specific User Sectors (Agriculture, Marine, Aviation, etc.) AgM, MMO, AeM, etc. RSMCs-TC TCP GDPFS WIGOS, WIS SP Capacity Development (CD), including Training (ETR) WWRP Satellite Imagery and Tools Observing and information systems Research Projects SWFDP: a cross-cutting activity involving multiple TCs and Progs, concerning prediction of hydro-meteorological hazards Regional Centre (RSMCs, RFSC, RCCs)

7. SWFDP – Eastern Africa – Lake Victoria (status/progress) WMO • Focus on: • Strong winds • Heavy precipitation • Hazardous waves (Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria) • Dry spells • Users: general public, disaster management, media, agriculture and fisheries • Domains: • 5E – 55E; 30N – 25S (for monitoring, analyzing, predicting and verifying the various severe weather events) • 31E – 36E; 2N – 4S (for the Lake Victoria) • Global Centres: ECMWF, UKMO, NOAA/NCEP (NWP guidance material) • MSG satellite products (EUMETSat products) • Regional Centre: RSMC Nairobi, supported by TMA, UKMO and DWD • National Met. Centres: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Ethiopia • Started September 2011

8. Lake Victoria • Around 3000 people/yr die in boating accidents • Satellite imagery and ATD provide scope for nowcasting • 4km UM provided • Mobile phones for communication

9. Diurnal forcing of convection • Lake at night; high ground to East by day

11. Met Office 4km UM - 0200-0800UTC 15/3/13

12. SWFDP Regional Projects 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)

13. SWFDP – improving forecasts and warnings • Severe weather: heavy rain, strong winds • High-impact focus (flash-flooding, damaging winds, near-shore damaging waves, landslides); • Forecast range: up to day-5 (increased lead-time) • Forecasting (GDPFS), warning services (PWS) • Forecast Verification • Phase-in other developments • Training for forecasters and disaster managers • Technological gaps: • Tropical convection, rapid on-set, localized events • Lack of forecasting tools in the very-short-range (< 12h) • Little or no radar coverage, few real-time observations • Internet-based

14. SWFDP: • Southern Africa • Eastern Africa • Southwest Pacific • Southeast Asia GIFS products for SWFDP (MRI-JMA)

15. Global Hazard Map Summary map to track features through days of forecast Daily map to overlay different hazards and vulnerability layers

16. SWFDP – Resources WMO • 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

17. 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 for introducing promising R&D • Cross-programme guidance • Regular budget and extrabudgetary resourses • Project Office Ultimate Goal: Establishing a National Severe Weather Warnings Programme for every Member of WMO

18. Technical Requirements for SWFDP Benefit • Cascading of SWFDP products and guidance uses: • Simple web pages • Products as Images including animation • Requirements to benefit: • Web-browser • Low band-width connection • Forecaster and PWS training • Highly efficient and cost-effective Capacity Building

19. Thank you for your attention • DISCUSSION