An integrated Early Warning System for air quality and weather risks in Qatar

As extreme weather events become more frequent and severe due to climate change, there is an urgent need for proactive measures to enhance resilience and minimize impacts on lives, infrastructure, and the economy. This need is particularly critical in the hot, arid cities of the Middle East, where prolonged periods of extreme heat stress are intensified by the urban heat island effect, posing significant health risks to growing urban populations.

This work presents the ongoing development of an Early Warning System (EWS) for the State of Qatar, focusing on key climate-related risks: heat stress, air quality (including dust storms), solar radiation, and extreme precipitation. The EWS integrates real-time monitoring from a network of continuously operated weather and air quality stations with high-resolution predictive modeling (WRF-Chem). Case studies of intense dust storms, extreme heat stress days, heavy precipitation, and periods of extreme UV index will be discussed.

Additionally, the integration of our dust forecasting capabilities with the World Meteorological Organization’s (WMO) Regional Center for the Sand and Dust Storm Warning Advisory and Assessment System (SDS-WAS) operated in the Gulf Cooperation Council region is underway, and the associated benefits will be highlighted.

Through collaboration with local and regional policymakers and urban planners, this system aims to address existing gaps in climate-related risk management, promote long-term resilience, and serve as a model for other arid and hyper-arid cities facing similar challenges.