Building Effective Warning Systems: The Role of Partnerships in Bridging the Five Valleys of Death

This talk will present research pulled together by members of the WMO/WWRP High Impact Weather (HIWeather) project from work in many countries. Whether it is in effective use of new observation sources, in risk assessment or in influencing the decisions of emergency responders, the key components of an early warning system lie in the interfaces between disciplines and/or organisations. Where partnerships work well, there is seamless communication of information through these interfaces enabling effective decision making downstream. With the proliferation of data sources and delivery media, it is increasingly important for authoritative messages to be successfully communicated along the warning chain so that they are “useful, usable and used”. Drawing examples from use of new observations, coupled prediction, impact forecasting and communication of warnings, I will illustrate the importance of partnership at every stage of the warning process.