MeteoAlarm – Towards Tomorrow’s Warnings

MeteoAlarm serves as a central and comprehensive one-stop shop for hydrometeorological warnings across 38 European countries. Designed to provide critical awareness information for preparing and responding to hazardous weather events, MeteoAlarm consolidates warnings from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) on a unified platform, aggregating and making them readily accessible through the MeteoAlarm Visualisation and Feeds.

The platform's primary objective is to present the current awareness situation coherently, ensuring a consistent interpretation throughout Europe in an easily comprehensible manner. This is achieved by using a simple three-colour code (yellow, orange, and red) and by providing impact scenarios and advisories to the general public. This approach enables individuals to stay informed about the latest warnings, take necessary precautions, and minimise risks associated with hazardous weather conditions, supporting decision-makers on the European level, such as the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) of the European Commission. Essential to MeteoAlarm's success are its redistributors, such as AccuWeather, Apple, Google, or IBM/The Weather Company, fundamental in disseminating warnings to hundreds of millions of end-users.

MeteoAlarm actively engages in the RODEO project, a collaborative effort involving eleven European NMHSs, ECMWF, and EUMETNET. This initiative spans from 2023 to 2025 and aims to develop a Federated European Meteo-hydrological Data Infrastructure (FEMDI). The realisation of FEMDI includes the creation of a user interface and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) designed for accessing meteorological datasets designated as High-Value Datasets under the EU Open Data Directive. Within this project, MeteoAlarm focuses on enhancing the accessibility and usability of its warnings. The goal is to ensure warnings remain reliable, of high quality, and standardised across diverse regions and countries. The development of APIs not only facilitates machine-readable data but also enables near-real-time access through bulk downloads and cross-border querying, seamlessly integrated with the existing MeteoAlarm Service. In parallel, efforts concentrate on improving the quality and harmonisation of warnings, achieved through collaborations with data providers, redistributors, and international frameworks related to the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP).

Looking ahead, MeteoAlarm prioritises key initiatives to maintain its prominent role in weather warning services. A central focus is the shift towards an impact-based multi-hazard approach, aligned with the WMO-led initiative, Early Warnings for All (EW4All). This goes hand in hand with the aim to advance the MeteoAlarm CAP Profile, emphasising adaptability for diverse weather events. The establishment of an Impact-based Warning (IbW) Working Group and the extension of early warnings beyond the current two-day limit are short-term objectives, supporting MeteoAlarm's overarching vision. Strengthening collaboration with redistributors and enhancing knowledge sharing and communication between MeteoAlarm Members collectively reinforces resilience, adaptability, and engagement within the meteorological community.

The anticipated impact of MeteoAlarm’s efforts will enhance the ability of individuals and organisations to engage in more efficient disaster preparedness and response at both national and international levels, ensuring a safer and more resilient future for all.