Lessons learned from developing a multi-model hydrometeorological forecasting system

The project “South-East European Multi-Hazard Early Warning Advisory System” (SEE-MHEWS-A) is a collaborative effort to strengthen the existing early warning capacity in south-eastern Europe. The project was initiated in 2016 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and has been supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), World Bank and the European Commission and has now developed from a concept into implementation of a pilot for a multi-hazard forecasting system. The pilot consists of four limited area numerical weather prediction models which are used as forcing to three hydrological models. In the implementation phase the hydrological models are setup over small catchments, but the plan is to increase the coverage when the project moves to the operationalization phase. The pilot also consists of a nowcasting system and the output are visualized on a web-based common information platform. The project has led the countries in the region to increase sharing of observational data, knowledge and resources to create a common information platform that can potentially deliver a tailored decision support system for hydrometeorological hazards to agencies and authorities.