Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) joins others in the world today, Wednesday March 23 2022, to mark World Meteorology Day (WMD) with a call to intensify Impact-based forecasts (IBF)
The World Meteorological Day is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), established on the 23rd of March 1950.
This year’s celebration under the theme “Early Warning and Early Action” is to highlight and create awareness of people’s role in protecting the Earth’s atmosphere because climate variability and climate change are increasing high impact weather (HIW) events such as floods, droughts, extremely high temperature, landslides, etc. mostly influenced by human activities which impact lives, properties, and socio-economic development.
According to WMO, weather, climate, and water extremes are becoming more frequent and intense in many parts of the world as a result of climate change, and Ghana is no exception.
A statement released to celebrate the day, GMet believes that “Forecasts of what the weather will BE are no longer enough. Impact-based forecasts (IBF) that inform the public of what the weather will DO are vital to save lives and livelihoods. Yet one in three people are is still not adequately covered by early warning systems” and it has therefore called for the need to intensify Impact-based forecasts.
In addressing this in Ghana, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) African Science for Weather Information and Forecasting Techniques (African-SWIFT) have embarked on project to help build capacity for forecasters on IBF and is being implemented by GMet for early warning and informed decision making.
The project has also helped in the provision of Nnowcast Ssatellite aApplication Ffacility (NWCSAF) to support the Agency’s nowcasting (0 – 6 hours) and short short-range forecast, including warnings of a high-impact weather events for sectors such aviation, disaster control, marine etc.
The Agency has also undertaken a research which was highlighted by the WMO high impact weather Citizen Science project on how GMet is using its “Let’s Talk Weather in Ghana” (accessed details from WhatsApp platforms to address dissemination gap hence improving timely communication of warnings and weather information to users as well as monitor user feedback.
Also, GMet in collaboration with GIZ and Allianz have carried out the SAGABI project on “Developing Risk Management Approaches for Climate and Health Risks” and developed “My flood Risk Accra” app for flood early warning system which is being piloted within Greater Accra Metropolitan Assembly (GAMA). This is to aid preparedness, response and recovery of High Impact Weather which reflects this year’s WMD theme.
In addition, GMet is in partnership with Hydrological Service Department (HSD), National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) and Ministry of Works and Housing to execute and implement a pilot project GARID (Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development) that is expected to tackle early warning system within the Greater Accra Assembly in its attempt to manage flood.
This is in view that early warning is a major element of disaster risk reduction which can prevent loss of life and reduce the economic and material impacts of hazardous events, thereby mitigating disasters.
“Early warning systems need to actively involve the users and communities at risk (coproduction), facilitate public education and awareness of risks, disseminate messages and warnings efficiently and ensure that there is a constant state of preparedness and early action enabled. The impact-based multi-hazard early warning services translate hazard warnings into sector and location-specific impacts, and develops responses to mitigate those impacts in advance of hazards.
“Today, there are more communication tools at hand to do so via websites, mobile phone apps, SMS, radio, television, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. which GMet is leveraging on for weather information dissemination.
Currently, GMet issue seamless forecasts for stakeholders for early warning ranging from Nowcast, Daily, Sub-seasonal to Seasonal (e.g. weekly, dekadal) and Seasonal forecast.
“Early Warning may thus extend beyond short-range rainfall forecast and related pluvial flood tendencies, to include long-term projections of wet/dry spell conditions, soil moisture – rainfall behavior, and other land-atmosphere phenomena directly affecting agriculture, health, and ecosystem sustainability.
Seasonal forecast as issued by GMet for the Northern and Southern sector provides information on onset and cessation, dry spells, total rainfall amount with their terciles probabilities and advisories over the country.”
GMet was optimistic that the initiatives implemented on it premises on the theme for the 2022 WMD celebration will help in disaster risk reduction to save lives and properties.
By Vincent Kubi