Climate and Hydrology related activities in the Region

1. Climate and Hydrology related activities in the Region Regional events and developments WMO; Development and Regional Activities Department (DRA) Regional Office for Europe (ROE)

2. Table of contents: • IPA Project: Building resilience to disasters in Western Balkans & Turkey • 2. Climate Change Adaptation in the Drin River • 3. Global Flash Flood Guidance Systems Initiative & Partnership • 3.1. Black Sea and Middle East Flash Flood Guidance Project • 3.2. South-eastern Europe Flash Flood Guidance Project • 4. RA VI Management Group meeting, 5-6 February 2013, Geneva • 5. RA VI XVI Session, 10-17 September 2013, Helsinki, Finland

3. IPA Project: Building resilience to disasters in Western Balkans and Turkey • The EC DG Enlargement approved on 22 May 2012 the IPA/2012/290- • 552 Project: “Building resilience to disasters in Western Balkans and • Turkey” for a duration of 24 months. • This project will build upon the results of the IPA/2009 Project, Regional • Programme on Disaster Risk Reduction in South East Europe, • implemented during the 2009-2011 time period. The project related info • is available on the WMO Regional Office for Europe web page and can • be accessed via the following link: • http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/dra/eur/IPA2012/IPA2012_main.php. • Project partners: • EUMETNET (Meteoalarm), EUMETSAT, RIC Ljubljana, DMC/SEE Ljubljana, SEEVCCC Belgrade, NMA Romania, European Severe Storm Laboratory, Austria

4. Task 3: Enhanced regional risk assessment capacities through improved capabilities of beneficiaries in hazard analysis and mapping 3.1 Historical meteorological and climate data rescue (DARE) and enhancement of Climate Data Management Systems (CDMS) –Assessment missions to the beneficiaries => upgrade of Clidata SW in BIH, Montenegro and FYROM and the required training, installation of MCH SW in Albania, Republic of Srpska and Kosovo with the required training. 3.2 Enhancing hydro-meteorological data quality, homogenization & standardization - Regional Workshop on historic hydrometeorological data management - Skopje, FYROM, 22-26 April 2013. The tentative programme is available on: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/dra/eur/IPA2012/documents/Doc.1_TentativeProgramme.pdf.

5. Task 3: Enhanced regional risk assessment capacities through improved capabilities of beneficiaries in hazard analysis and mapping • 3.3 Drought hazard analysis and mapping – Training on Drought Hazard Analysis and Mapping, Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 2013 • 3.4 Sava River pilot project on flood hazard- FPs from 6 riparian countries to develop the standard procedures for data management and exchange, and development of flood losses assessment tool. Conduction of 3 sessions, in April 2013, November 2013 & January 2014.

6. Task 4: Enhanced capacity of IPA Beneficiaries to prepare and deliver accurate and timely warnings for hazardous meteorological and hydrological phenomena 4.1 Enhancement of severe weather forecasting capabilities of IPA beneficiaries in support of Early Warning Systems: advanced training for meteorological forecasters required for 24/7 operations – • on-the-job 3 weeks training on severe weather forecasting and warnings, September 2012, May and June 2013, Bucharest, Romania • participation in the weather forecasting test-bed at the ESSL, in Austria, June 2012 and June 2013, • Upgrade of EUMETCast stations’ software with the regional training workshop for severe weather forecasting, November 2013, Montenegro (tbc).

7. Task 4: Enhanced capacity of IPA Beneficiaries to prepare and deliver accurate and timely warnings for hazardous meteorological and hydrological phenomena 4.2 Advanced training for hydrological forecasters – Regional training workshop on integrated flood management and flood forecasting, 8-12 April 2013, Antalya, Turkey. The provisional agenda is available on: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/dra/eur/IPA2012/documents/Doc.1-ProvisionalAgenda.pdf. 4.3 Enhancement of the cross-border exchange of data and information in support of EWS – Integration of Bosnia & Herzegovina into Meteoalarm, January 2013 4.4 Building capacity for quality assurance of products and services provided in support of DRR, including QMS- Regional training in QMS, June 2013, Croatia 4.5 Resolving deficiencies related to quality of observational data- procurement of 2 calibration kits for on-site calibration and maintenance of instruments

8. Task 5: Improved capacity of the NMHSs of IPA beneficiaries in the provision of information to support climate change adaptation and climate risk management 5.1 Enhancing capacity in drought risk management – Strengthening the role and operation of the DMC for SEE- Secondement, April and September 2013 5.2 Strengthening capacity of beneficiaries in providing long-range forecasts and related climate services – • SEECOF-8, Podgorica, November 2012, • SEECOF-10, Belgrade, November 2013, • Regional Training workshop on long-range forecasts, climate watch and climate scenarios, November 2013, Belgrade, as extension of SEECOF-10 • Secondment of 2 experts for a period of 4 weeks to the SEEVCCC for the development of climate services provision’ platform, November 2013. • 5.3 Developing capacity in services for the insurance sector – Regional training on the role of NMHSs in support of activities in the field of insurance, March 2014

9. Task 6: A design for a seamless regional Multi-Hazard Early Warning System developed and promoted for adoption at national and regional level, with proper consideration of the existing specific needs and situation in the Western Balkans and Turkey 6.1 Assessment and gap analysis of the existing national Early Warning Systems – • Conduction of 3 sessions for the Design Team, April and October 2013 and May 2014 0 Development of a regional plan including the cost-benefit analysis • Regional meeting on institutional collaboration in MHEWS, April 2014 • Regional Forum to present the designed document and promote it for adoption at national and regional level, May 2014 • Meeting of Directors of NMHSs from SEE, April 2013, Bulgaria.

10. Climate Change Adaptation in the Drin River(GIZ Project for EWS for the Drin River basin) • The GIZ project started back in June 2012 to end in February 2013. • In the framework of this project a Regional Round table on “Establishment of “Flood Early Warning System for lower Drin River” was organized in Tirana 10-11 September 2012. • An expert team was established to visit all 4 providers of hydro-meteorological information in Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro, and to estimate their needs of developing national Early Warning Systems and for the integration into EFAS. • The expert team consisted of Focal points from four Hydrometeorological services, of four territories in the Drin basin and 2 international experts from Germany.

11. Climate Change Adaptation in the Drin River • The assessment study had 2 steps: • 1st step- FPs of each project partner identified the gaps & needs, related to: hydro-meteorological data availability, existing databases, possibilities of data transmission, availability of hydro-meteorological data series, availability of metadata, availability of historical data, available data formats (data are digitalized or in paper forms), data accuracy and reliability; • 2nd step- the Expert team visited all 4 NMHSs and met representatives of hydrological and meteorological sectors, to take into consideration priorities of each project partner, particularly in establishing National Early Warning Systems and their readiness of approaching to EFAS. • The results of the missions, conducted from 27 November 2012 to 6 December 2012, were presented at the regional meeting in Tirana, in February 2013 and will be taken into account for the 2nd phase of the project, which envisages the procurement of the hydrometeorological equipment for the project beneficiaries.

12. Global Flash Flood Guidance Systems Initiative & Partnership Floods and flash floods are one of the deadliest and most costly natural disasters worldwide. Many deaths could be prevented by adequate warning. Estimates of rainfall from satellites are being used to support flash flood forecasting in many parts of the world through the Global Flash Flood Guidance initiative. The Project is supported by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Hydrologic Research Center in cooperation with WMO and US Agency for International Development, a collaborative partnership to provide Flash Flood Guidance systems for different parts of the world. NOAA provides satellite rainfall estimates for a HRC developed forecasting tool used by in-country weather services to identify regions of flash flood risk. Each systems is run by the host country—a local solution to a local problem. Currently serving nearly 10% of the world’s population. WMO

13. Black Sea and Middle East Flash Flood Guidance Project • General objective is to establish Flash Flood Guidance System in the Black Sea and Middle East Region as a part of worldwide WMO network in order to increase regional capacity to mitigate the adverse affects of flash floods. • Specific objective is to produce operational flash flood guidance products for national Hydro-Meteorological Services, Disaster and Water Management Authorities to provide real time flash floods warnings with high hit rate. • BSME-FFG initial meeting was held in Istanbul on 29-31 March 2010 with the participating countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon and Turkey was elected as regional centre.

14. South-eastern Europe Flash Flood Guidance Project • Regional workshop on snow accumulation and melt in Southeast Europe, Black Sea and Middle East, 26-29 March 2012, Ankara, Turkey. • WMO Regional Workshop on the establishment of a Flash Flood Guidance system for South-eastern Europe- 22-24 January 2013, Ankara, Turkey. • With the participation of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

15. RA VI Management Group Meeting, 5-6 February 2013, Geneva • The RA VI Operation Plan for 2012-2015 was approved and published on the RA VI web page: ftp://ftp.wmo.int/Documents/PublicWeb/dra/eur/RA6_StratPlan/Operating_Plan_2012_2015.pdf • The Answers to the Questionnaire on Institutional Arrangements for NMHSs and identification of future priorities were analyzed and the major challenges were presented, as follows: • the visibility, • the cut of budget and stuff, • the need to enhance the existing observing system, • the climate and DRR services, • the Quality Management System, • the training and others. • The Certified recognition of the WGs members and Task Team members for their outstanding work and contribution to the regional activities.

16. Preparation for the XVI RAVI Session • Provide inputs to the Documents for the XVIRA VI Session, by end of April: • Identify issues, explain the risks, prioritize, and provide guidance on how to mitigate the issues, • Propose solutions (indicate the required actions and resources), • Submit the proposals for the future structure of the WG and TTs to the RAVI President and MG members.

17. Thank you for your attention • Regional Office for Europe • divanov@wmo.int • nberghi@wmo.int