ASR Advances in Science and Research ASR Adv. Sci. Res. 1992-0636 Copernicus Publications Göttingen, Germany 10.5194/asr-8-157-2012 An overview of a regional meteorology warning system Gaztelumendi S. 1 2 Egaña J. 1 2 Otxoa-de-Alda K. 1 2 Hernandez R. 1 2 Aranda J. 3 Anitua P. 3 Basque Meteorology Agency (Euskalmet), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain TECNALIA, Meteo Unit, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain Basque Government, Interior Dept., Directorate of Emergencies and Meteorology, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain 09 08 2012 8 1 157 166 Copyright: © 2012 S. Gaztelumendi et al. 2012 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ This article is available from https://asr.copernicus.org/articles/8/157/2012/asr-8-157-2012.html The full text article is available as a PDF file from https://asr.copernicus.org/articles/8/157/2012/asr-8-157-2012.pdf

In this work we present a regional meteorology warning system, particularly the operational weather warning system used by the Basque Meteorology Agency (Euskalmet) for Basque Country. System considers different meteorological phenomena capable of generate warnings, and is based on combined thresholds criteria depending on particular weather event and area of territory where is applied. In this work we describe the most significant aspects related with the warning event definition and the warning bulletin. Conclusions from comparison with the former system (prior to 2009) and feedback from different users are presented.

 References Aranda, J. A. and Morais, A.: The new weather radar of Euskalmet. Site selection, construction and installation, Proceedings 4th ERAD Conference, 356–359, 2006. Arasti Barca, E.: Estudio de la galerna típica del Cantábrico, INM, ISBN: 84-8320-175-5, 2001. Basher, R.: Global early warning systems for natural hazards: systematic and people-centred, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A, 364, 2167–2182, 2006. DFG (Diputacion Foral de Gipuzkoa): Caracterización de las situaciones hidrológicas extremas en Gipuzkoa y situación frente a inundaciones en Gipuzkoa, 2006. Egaña, J. and Gaztelumendi, S.: Klaus overview and comparison with other cases affecting Basque Country area, Proceedings of the 5thECSS Conference, 6 pp., 2009. Egaña, J., Gaztelumendi, S., Gelpi, I. R., and Otxoa de Alda, K.: Synoptic characteristics of extreme wind events in the Basque Country, 6th EMS Conference, 2004. Egaña, J., Gaztelumendi, S., Mugerza, I., and Gelpi, I. R.: Synoptic patterns associated to very heavy precipitation events in the Basque Country, 5th EMS Conference, 2005. Egaña, J., Gaztelumendi, S., Gelpi, I. R., and Otxoa de Alda, K.: A preliminary analysis of summer severe storms in the Basque Country area: synoptic characteristics, 4th ECSS Conference, 2007. Egaña, J., Gaztelumendi, S., Gelpi, I. R., Otxoa de Alda, K., Maruri, M., and Hernández, R.: Radar Analysis of Different Meteorological Situations in the Basque Country Area, Proceedings 5th ERAD Conference, Helsinki, 4 pp., 2008a. Egaña, J., Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., Gelpi, I. R., and Hernandez, R.: Synoptical and mesoscale information for forecast purposes, 8thEMS/7thECAC Conference, 2008b. Egaña, J., Gaztelumendi, S., Pierna, D., Gelpi, I. R., and Otxoa de Alda, K.: "Convective storms over Basque Country: June 2008 cases study", Proceeding of the 5th ECSS Conference, 291–292, 2009a. Egaña, J., Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., and Gelpi, I. R.: Synoptic characteristics of extreme heat episodes in the Basque Country, 9th EMS/9th ECAM Conference 2009b. Egaña, J., Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., and Gelpi, I. R.: Synoptic characteristics of extreme low temperatures episodes in the Basque Country, 10thEMS/8thECAC Conference, 2010a. Egaña, J., Gaztelumendi, S., Gelpi, I. R., and Otxoa de Alda, K.: Analysis of oceano-meteorological conditions during Klaus episode on Basque Country area, 10thEMS/8th ECAC Conference, 2010b. Euskalmet: Estudio de umbrales de temperatura para la CAPV, 2005. Euskalmet: Procedimiento operativo ante situaciones de nieve, 2009a. Euskalmet: Procedimiento operativo ante situaciones de temperaturas altas extremas, 2009b. Euskalmet: Compendio de informes meteorológicos anuales, 2010. Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., and Hernandez, R.: Some aspects on the operative use of the automatic stations network of the basque country, 3th ICEAWS Conference, 2003. Gaztelumendi, S., Egaña, J., Gelpi, I. R., and Mugerza, I.: An Automatic Warning and Alert system: Design and validation, 5th EMS Conference, 2005. Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., Gelpi, I. R., and Egaña, J.: An Automatic Surveillance System for Severe Weather Real Time Control in Basque Country Area, 4th ICEAWS Conference, 2006a. Gaztelumendi, S., Egaña, J., Gelpi, I. R., Otxoa de Alda, K., Maruri, M., and Hernández, R.: The new radar of Basque Meteorology Agency: Configuration and some considerations for its operative use, Proceedings 4th ERAD Conference, 363–366, 2006b. Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., Egaña, J., and Gelpi, I. R.: Inclusion of Radar information in the surveillance panel of the Basque Meteorology Agency, Proceedings 4th ERAD Conference, 352–355, 2006c. Gaztelumendi, S., Gelpi, I. R., Egaña, J., and Otxoa de Alda, K.: Mesoscale numerical weather prediction in Basque Country Area: present and future, EMS7/ECAM8 Conference, 2007. Gaztelumendi, S., Egaña, J, Gelpi, I. R., and Otxoa de Alda, K.: The Euskalmet wave forecast system – preliminary results and validation, Proceedings 5th EuroGOOS Conference, 168–176, 2008a. Gaztelumendi, S., Hernandez, R., Otxoa de Alda, K., Egaña, J., and Gelpi, I. R.: Basque Meteorology Agency annual meteorological bulletins, 8thEMS/7thECAC Conference, 2008b. Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., Egaña, J., Gelpi, I. R., Pierna, D., and Carreño, S: Summer showers characterization in the Basque Country, Proceedings of the 5th ECSS, 81–82, 2009a. Gaztelumendi, S. and Egaña, J.: Klaus over Basque Country: Local characteristics and Euskalmet operational aspects, Proceedings of 5th ECSS, 255–256, 2009b. Gaztelumendi, S., Lopez, J., Egaña, J., and Aranda, J. A.: Preliminary results from lightning detection in Basque Country, 5th ECSS Conference, 2009c. Gaztelumendi, S., González, M., Egaña, J., Rubio, A., Gelpi, I. R., Fontán, A., Otxoa de Alda, K., Ferrer, L., Alchaarani, N., Mader, J., and Uriarte, Ad.: Implementation of an operational oceanometeorological system for the Basque Country, Thalassas, 26, 151–167, 2010a. Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., Hernández, R., Egaña, J., and Gelpi, I. R.: Meteosat products for surveillance: the Euskalmet case, Proceedings 2010 EUMETSAT Conference, p. 57, 6 pp., 2010b. Gaztelumendi, S., Egaña, J., Ruiz, M., Pierna, D., Otxoa de Alda, K., and Gelpi, I. R.: An analysis of Cantabric coastal trapped disturbances, 6th EuroGOOS Conference, 2011. Gelpi, I. R., Gaztelumendi, S., Egaña, J., and Otxoa de Alda, K.: Implementing a Data Assimilation System: Preliminary Results, 6th EMS Conference, 2006a. Gelpi, I. R., Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., and Egaña, J.: Some results from assimilation on Kapildui radar wind information in the Basque Country, Proceedings of the 4th ERAD Conference, 550–552, 2006b. GV (Gobierno Vasco): Plan de Protección Civil de Euskadi, 1997. GV: Plan Integral de Prevención de Inundaciones (PIPI), 1999a. GV: Plan Especial de Emergencias ante el Riesgo de Inundaciones de la CAPV, 1999b. GV: Protocolo para la predicción y vigilancia de fenómenos meteorológicos adversos, 2004. GV: Plan de predicción y vigilancia de fenómenos meteorológicos adversos, Dirección de Meteorología y Climatología, 2009a. GV: Procedimiento operativo en situaciones de temperaturas altas persistentes y temperaturas altas extremas, Dirección de Meteorología y Climatología 2009b. GV: Protocolo para la predicción, vigilancia y actuación ante fenómenos meteorológicos adversos, Departamento de interior, 2010. Hernández, R., Gaztelumendi, S., Otxoa de Alda, K., Gelpi, I. R., and Egaña, J.: Combining Meteosat data and weather radar products to improve the meteorological surveillance and nowcasting, Proceedings 2010 EUMETSAT Conference, p. 57, 6 pp., 2010. INM: Plan nacional de predicción y vigilancia de meteorología adversa – meteoalerta, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Gobierno de España, 2007. InVS (Institut de Vielle Sanitaire): Système d'alerte canicule et santé (SACS) Raport, June 2005. Maruri, M., Gaztelumendi, S., Gelpi, I. R., and Egaña, J.: Some quality aspects related with Punta Galea wind profiler and Kapildui weather radar, 8th International Symposium on Tropospheric Profilling, Delft, 2009. PPW (Partnership for Public Warning): Developing a unified all-hazard public warning system, PPW-Report, 2002. PPW: An introduction to public alert and warning, PPW-Report, 2004. Robinson, P. J.: On the definition of heat waves, J. Appl. Meteorol., 40, 762–765, 2001. Stepek, A., Wijnant, I. L., and van der Schrier, G.: Analysis of daily precipitation thresholds in Meteoalarm, ECA{&}D Report, 2010a. Stepek, A., Wijnant, I. L., and van der Schrier, G.: Analysis of wind gust thresholds in Meteoalarm, ECA{&}D Report, 2010b. WHO: Improving public health responses to extreme weather/heatwaves, EuroHEAT: Technical Summary, World Health Organization Europe, 2009. WMO: Guide to public weather services practices, TD No. 834, 1999. WMO: Guide on improving public understanding of and response to warnings, TD No. 1139, 2002. WMO: Guidelines on cross-border exchange of warnings, TD No. 1179, 2003. WMO: Proceedings of the Meeting of Experts to Develop Guidelines on Heat/Health Warning Systems, WCASP No. 63, WMOTD No. 1212, 2004. WMO: Guidelines on integrating severe weather warnings into disaster risk management, TD No. 1292, 2005. WMO: Comprehensive risk assessment for natural hazards, TD No. 966. Rep, 2006. WMO: Guidelines on early warning systems and application of nowcasting and warning operations, TD No. 1559, 2010.