Building South America's First Regional Severe Weather Forecasting Programme – World Meteorological Organization WMO

Building South America’s First Regional Severe Weather Forecasting Programme  World Meteorological Organization WMO

Five South American countries are joining forces under a new regional forecasting programme to improve severe weather warnings across the La Plata Basin. The La Plata Basin spans five countries and is one of South America's most weather-exposed regions. Heavy rainfall, floods, severe thunderstorms, hail, strong winds, tornadoes and extreme temperatures regularly disrupt communities, agriculture, transport, energy and water management across Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. A storm that develops in one country can affect another within hours, making regional cooperation essential. Timely, consistent forecasts can help National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) support decision-makers, emergency managers and communities before severe weather causes major impacts. To respond to this need, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is supporting the development of the first Severe Weather Forecasting Programme in South America, focused on the La Plata Basin.

The initiative will strengthen forecasting capabilities and early warning services in the five participating countries, contributing to the Early Warnings for All initiative. The Severe Weather Forecasting Programme (SWFP) is built around a simple but powerful idea: better warnings are possible when global, regional and national expertise are brought together. Through SWFP’s “cascading forecast process”, global centres provide high-quality numerical weather prediction products and guidance. Regional centres then tailor this information to the needs of a specific subregion. National services use this guidance to