• TV weather forecasts including video clips
• AI tools in communication
• media and climate change issue
• use of social media to convey weather and climate information
• ways to present climatological information in an appealing way for the media and general public
• effective communication of science, scientific ideas and concepts, and research results
• warnings in case of severe weather events, role of different media in the warning system, a single voice concept
• internet as efficient and popular media in meteorology
• monthly meteorological bulletins and annals
• radio as a traditional media for delivering weather data and forecasts
• development of new communication strategies and use of social media
• tips on how to interact with users and journalists
• perception of provided information among users
• use of new technologies includin AI
• role of press officers within the National weather services
• role of science journals and publishers
• communicating uncertainty in seasonal forecast and climate projections
The effectiveness of weather warning systems depends not only on forecast accuracy but on the full communication chain — from alert issuance to public understanding to protective action. This paper presents findings from a survey (2.020-respondents) conducted in 2025 among users of the LaMMA meteorological service of Tuscany Region, Italy, which hosted a section aimed at examining how citizens receive, interpret and respond to official weather alerts, and what role meteorological literacy plays across each of these stages.
The survey population is self-selected and weather-engaged, consulting forecasts daily and preferring alert updates through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Telegram rather than institutional channels they must actively seek out. The analysis examines how meteorological literacy relates to alert comprehension, confidence in personal risk assessment, and preparedness to act — and whether these cognitive dimensions translate into actual behaviour change across different hazard types and alert levels, from yellow to red. The study also explores the role of alert fatigue, drawing on both quantitative patterns and open-ended responses, to understand what erodes willingness to respond even among motivated users.
Underlying these patterns is a structural tension that extends well beyond Italy. Warning communication remains predominantly framed around meteorological processes rather than human impacts, and alert language reflects this: when asked to choose between technical terminology and plain impact-oriented alternatives, fewer than one percent of respondents prefer current institutional wording. Yet shifting toward impact-based communication is not simply a matter of rewording. Impacts-based warning communication requires spatially detailed knowledge of exposed elements — infrastructure, population, land use — that is rarely available at the resolution needed to match meteorological forecasts, and even more rarely integrated into operational warning workflows. The practical result is that impact descriptions tend to be generic lists, repeated across events and territories, that citizens quickly learn to recognise as routine rather than informative. This dynamic reinforces alert fatigue: when consequences feel disconnected from local reality, warnings lose credibility regardless of their meteorological accuracy. Closing the gap between comprehension and protective action will therefore require not only clearer language but a deeper integration between meteorological services, territorial risk knowledge and civil protection — so that warnings speak not just to what the atmosphere will do, but to what it will specifically mean for each place and its people.
How to cite: Grasso, V., Tei, C., Pasi, F., and Gozzini, B.: When knowing is not enough: weather literacy, alert comprehension and the limits of warning-driven behaviour change., EMS Annual Meeting 2026, Utrecht, Netherlands, 6–11 Sep 2026, EMS2026-120, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2026-120, 2026.
As extreme weather events become more frequent, clear and effective communication of weather warnings is crucial for safeguarding lives and property. Warnings are only effective if they are understood and acted upon, highlighting the importance of well-structured warning messages. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recommends that warnings include not only the meteorological hazard but also expected impacts and recommended protective actions. However, the guidance does not mandate a specific order or level of detail, empirical findings on optimal sequencing are mixed, and implementation across meteorological services is inconsistent.
In the context of the renewal of its warning system within the RainBoW program (“Risk-based, Application-oriented and Individualizable Provision of Optimized Warning Information”), the German Meteorological Service (Deutscher Wetterdienst, DWD) conducted a pre-registered, quota-representative study in Germany (N = 801) and a pilot study (N = 120). This research examined (1) public preferences for naming the main sections of a weather warning (recommended actions, potential impacts, meteorological situation), (2) the preferred order of these sections, and (3) how the number of recommended actions at the highest warning level affects how many items can be effectively recalled. Participants completed ranking tasks to assess preferred section labels and order, and were randomly assigned to view either a short (four recommended actions) or long (nine recommended actions) version of a weather warning. After viewing the warning for at least 10 seconds, participants were asked to freely recall its content. Responses to other warning elements, as well as perception of the warnings, and background information were also collected.
Results show clear preferences for section headings: participants favoured “Ways to Protect Yourself” for recommended actions and “Weather Situation” for meteorological information. Regarding section order, participants generally preferred the meteorological situation first (e.g., wind speed), followed by potential impacts (e.g., falling trees), and recommended actions (e.g., stay indoors) last. Recall was low across all sections in both conditions, potentially suggesting limited retention of warning content regardless of message length.
These findings offer concrete guidance for structuring and labelling warning messages, inform DWD’s ongoing update of its warning communication strategy, and illustrate how social science research can enhance the effectiveness of weather warnings and, ultimately, public safety during extreme weather events.
How to cite: Zwicker, M., Rode, D., and Feige, K.: Evaluating the Structure of Weather Warnings: A Mixed-Methods Study of the German Meteorological Service’s Communication, EMS Annual Meeting 2026, Utrecht, Netherlands, 6–11 Sep 2026, EMS2026-441, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2026-441, 2026.
According to a George Mason University survey, there are an estimated 2,400 television meteorologists in the US - an increase of about 300 from ten years ago. The job and duties of TV meteorologists continue to evolve, along with the tools with which they deliver weather information. Weathercasts that used to appear at scheduled times must be updated more frequently and are available on-demand through a variety of outlets. Presentations are disseminated on secondary television channels and dedicated phone apps in addition to internet sources.
Weather presenters – like their news colleagues – are having to adapt to the changing habits of their viewers. The days of the scheduled TV news and weather are being eclipsed by news and weather around the clock. For a variety of reasons, some presenters - even highly experienced presenters - have chosen to leave television to produce their own video weathercasts distributed over social media platforms. Some of these platforms are now monetizing content, paying creators to the extent that presenters can make sufficient income on their own outside of traditional commercial television channels. In addition, some newly-graduated meteorologists have chosen to bypass normal television altogether, and have found career success in doing their own weathercasts that are publicly delivered solely over the internet. Of course, social media weather information is unvetted, and is also a source of incorrect weather information posted by amateurs who may or may not have any scientific background whatsoever.
The American Meteorological Society and other groups are attempting to plot a course for the future of weather information and communication in the USA.
How to cite: Trobec, J.: “Changing times for television weather in the USA”, EMS Annual Meeting 2026, Utrecht, Netherlands, 6–11 Sep 2026, EMS2026-360, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2026-360, 2026.
Meteorologists have long relied on radar, satellite imagery, and computer model data to explain atmospheric conditions. While these tools remain essential, audiences increasingly expect visual, real-time context that connects forecasts to what viewers and consumers are actually experiencing on the ground. Live remote cameras - strategically deployed across cities, coastlines, mountains, and transportation corridors - offer meteorologists a powerful yet underutilized tool for improving weather communication, public situational awareness, and audience engagement.
We explore practical strategies for integrating live camera networks into daily weather storytelling across broadcast, digital, and social platforms. By combining meteorological expertise with real-time visual verification, meteorologists can illustrate key phenomena such as changing cloud structures, visibility reductions, wind impacts, flooding, snowfall intensity, and coastal conditions. Live cameras also provide a valuable method to provide visual evidence radar returns and model predictions, enabling forecasters to demonstrate forecast accuracy while building viewer trust. Timelapses from these live cameras can also aid meteorologists in demonstrating to their audience how these phenomena are created over time, providing the viewer with more information to better protect themselves, their families, and their environment.
The session will highlight best practices for camera placement, including selecting locations that maximize meteorological value. Techniques for incorporating camera feeds into live broadcasts and digital weather updates will be demonstrated, including split-screen analysis with radar overlays and time-lapse visualization of developing systems.
Beyond traditional television broadcasting, we examine how camera networks enhance digital engagement. Continuous live streams embedded in weather apps and websites provide audiences with an immediate connection to evolving conditions. During extreme weather events, these feeds support emergency communication by offering situational awareness for both the public and local authorities.
Attendees will gain actionable insights into how live remote cameras can transform meteorological storytelling - from simply describing the weather to visually demonstrating it, all in real time. By combining scientific analysis with compelling visual evidence, meteorologists can improve clarity, credibility, and public understanding of weather impacts in an increasingly connected visual media landscape.
How to cite: Speicher, T., Levy, P., and McKee, P.: Enhancing Weather Communication Through Live Remote Cameras, EMS Annual Meeting 2026, Utrecht, Netherlands, 6–11 Sep 2026, EMS2026-324, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2026-324, 2026.
Meteorologists and climate scientists produce knowledge of enormous value. Yet this knowledge often struggles to reach the public in a form that is understandable, useful, and trusted. Windy operates in this space between expert systems and everyday users. It does not replace meteorological agencies, scientists, or forecasters. It depends on them. Its role is to make complex atmospheric data accessible, visual, interactive, and relevant to millions of people making daily decisions around weather.
This talk will explore how Windy became a widely used platform for weather understanding, and what this reveals about public communication in meteorology. It will show how design, transparency, interactivity, and respect for user context can help bridge the distance between scientific data and public comprehension. At the same time, it will argue that platforms like Windy cannot solve this challenge alone. Better cooperation between meteorological institutions, researchers, communicators, and user-facing platforms is needed if society is to understand not only the forecast, but also the value of the science and institutions that make it possible.
How to cite: Polášek, D.: Windy Cannot Replace Meteorological Services — But It Can Help Explain Why They Matter, EMS Annual Meeting 2026, Utrecht, Netherlands, 6–11 Sep 2026, EMS2026-834, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2026-834, 2026.
The climate community produces an ever-increasing stream of data and synthesized national reports. While these resources serve decision-makers and researchers well, they are often inaccessible and too technical for the general public. As global warming intensifies, public curiosity and the need for climate literacy grow. Without accessible, science-based information, there is a significant risk of both climate anxiety and the spread of misinformation.
There is a growing need for both climate adaptation and mitigation as global warming is increasing around the world. The effects can be seen in national and international media almost daily. These frequent reminders of the changing climate, triggers the curiosity of the public.
One could hope that this wealth of information easily got adapted by the general public, but a lot of the information, e.g. national reports, is cumbersome to access and not written with the general public in mind. The result is a combination of people wondering about if climate change is real, and the possibility of spreading false information.
Based on the success of the articles on Syver’s winters and summers, which was part of Ole Mathieson's EMS Journalist award, Ole suggested that we use the template of breaking the climate back into weather and write a book. In the spring of 2025 we worked on the book.
The book is structured into three thematic pillars:
- The System: An accessible introduction to the mechanics of weather versus climate and the physics of change.
- The Impact: A deep dive into how these changes manifest in Norwegian nature and ecosystems.
- The Local Reality: A granular look at past, present, and future weather across 21 specific sites in Norway, providing a localized context for global trends.
All texts are kept short and focused on easy readability, which the comments we receive on the book confirms that we have achieved.
It is very important to make knowledge about climate change as accessible as possible to the general public. The weather affects everyone every day. Therefore, knowledge about changes in the weather is an effective way to spread scientific knowledge about the new climate.
The book was launched 23 of october 2025.
How to cite: Hygen, H. O. and Mathismoen, O.: The new Norwegian weather, EMS Annual Meeting 2026, Utrecht, Netherlands, 6–11 Sep 2026, EMS2026-285, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2026-285, 2026.
To support risk reduction, severe weather warnings need to be received, understood and appropriately acted upon by their intended audience. While a growing body of work is striving to establish best practice in ensuring that warnings are interpreted as intended, important gaps remain in our understanding of why people do not respond to them. In a survey of 1,100 members of the UK public, we asked participants about: 1) how long they estimated it would take to perform protection behaviours after receiving a warning; 2) barriers to undertaking a series of behavioural responses to warnings; 3) reasons for choosing not to act on warnings despite being able to do so; and 4) whether they had preparedness measures and supplies at home. Respondents with caring responsibilities for disabled, ill or elderly adults were also asked about the impact of severe weather on the people they care for. Descriptive analysis of barriers to acting on severe weather warnings showed that a substantial proportion of respondents reported difficulties following guidance to change working patterns (25%), challenges leaving home during flood or wildfire if advised to do so due to lack of transport (23%) and difficulty accessing a cool place to stay in hot weather (22%). Amongst carers, over 30% indicated that maintaining thermal comfort was a significant challenge for the person they care for. When respondents chose not to act on warnings, the most commonly selecting reason was perceiving the warning as irrelevant (41%), followed by perceived inaccuracy of warning (18%) and feeling that the benefits of not acting outweighed potential costs. Logistic regression revealed that barriers to adhering to advice to cancel travel and avoid exposure to severe weather at work were more common amongst younger respondents. Men were more likely to report being unable to avoid outdoor exposure to severe weather and physical exertion during hot weather in the workplace. Barriers related to movement, taking physical protective action and maintaining thermal comfort were all associated with poorer health. These findings suggest that individuals most vulnerable to the impacts of severe weather remain less likely to be able to undertake key protective behaviours. We discuss the implications of these results for improving public-facing weather warning communication.
How to cite: Taylor, A., Siu, Y. L., Summers, B., Dessai, S., and Jenkins, S.: Can’t act or won’t act? Predictors of barriers to responding to severe weather warnings, EMS Annual Meeting 2026, Utrecht, Netherlands, 6–11 Sep 2026, EMS2026-655, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2026-655, 2026.
Weather forecasts are among the most frequently used scientific services by the general public. They influence everyday decisions and play a key role in preparing for and responding to hazardous weather events. In recent years, the fast growth of digital media and social networks has noticeably changed the way weather information is produced, shared, and consumed. This new information landscape raises important questions about how the public evaluates the quality, reliability, and clarity of meteorological forecasts.
This study presents the results of a nationwide public survey carried out in 2024 by the Hellenic Meteorological Society. Its purpose was to examine how weather forecasts are communicated and how they are understood and used in Greece. The survey investigated where citizens primarily obtain weather information, how much they trust different forecasting providers, and how they perceive the clarity, reliability, and possible exaggeration in the way weather information is communicated.
The findings show that digital platforms—especially weather apps and online media—now represent the main sources of weather information for the Greek public. Traditional media, such as television, still play an important role, while social media are becoming increasingly influential in the rapid spread of forecasts and weather warnings. Respondents also reported differences in the trust they place in various sources and expressed concerns about the tendency of some outlets to present weather events in an exaggerated way.
Overall, the study contributes to ongoing efforts to improve how weather information is communicated and to strengthen public trust in meteorological forecasts in a digital and constantly evolving information environment.
How to cite: Giannopoulos, P., Charalampopoulos, I., and Nastos, P. T.: Understanding Public Perception of Weather Forecasts in Greece: Quality, Trust, and Media Dynamics, EMS Annual Meeting 2026, Utrecht, Netherlands, 6–11 Sep 2026, EMS2026-478, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2026-478, 2026.
Our environment is changing, and research and knowledge on how the environment is affecting human wellbeing and health is becoming more and more important. Technical progress does not always make us more resilient to atmospheric impacts. There are many ongoing research projects, many of which studies already been done. Therefore, there is a significant amount of knowledge already gathered, but does it help decision makers and the general public to make informed decisions? Are we making the best job of interconnecting research findings and tailoring them into ready-to-use information? The communication aspects of biometeorology are one of the most important factors in the communication of science and the tailoring of policies to develop actions and protection measures for human health. Information needs to be presented in a way that is easy to understand and tailored to the needs of the users. In addition, the communication channels to be used must be focused on the target audience. Another important factor is the media to be used.
This presentation is a wrap-up of these aspects presented at the workshop and an overview of the existing human biometeorological information already available. We had covered several aspects of the important fields of human biometeorology, not only the thermal aspects such as quantification of heat, cold and other related factors for different and spatial aspects such as heat and extreme heat conditions in terms of quantification and development of heat warnings, but also quantification of indoor conditions and outdoor parks and spaces. It also includes the application of prediction models for different climates and situations. Human biometeorology includes not only the thermal aspect (heat stress), which seems to be the most relevant in the context of climate change, but also the aspects of air pollution and the combination of thermal and air pollution aspects. Much more science is needed here, as the adverse effects on human health are not limited to the effect of one factor alone, but to the combination of several factors at the same time.
Finally, communication by scientists and weather forecasters with many years of experience is crucial and valuable for the successful application of biometeorological knowledge and information for daily life and long-term climate-resilient planning in the context of climate change.
How to cite: Cegnar, T.: Living with the Elements: Weather, Climate, and Human Health , EMS Annual Meeting 2026, Utrecht, Netherlands, 6–11 Sep 2026, EMS2026-777, https://doi.org/10.5194/ems2026-777, 2026.
Speakers/contributors
- Tanja Cegnar, Slovenia
- Panagiotis Giannopoulos, SKAI Media, Greece
- Valentina Grasso, Consorzio LaMMA / CNR IBE, Italy
- Hans Olav Hygen, Norwegian Meteorological Institute, Norway
- Peter Levy
- David Polášek, Windyty, SE (Windy.com), Czechia
- Eva Rodríguez Nieto, Fundación Española para la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Spain
- Johannes Schmetz, European Meteorological Society (EMS), Germany
- Barbara Summers, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
- Jay Trobec, United States of America
- Maria Zwicker, Deutscher Wetterdienst, Germany
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