Research gaps and challenges for impact-based forecasts and warnings: Results of international workshops for High Impact Weather in 2022

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has called for more meaningful warnings to help reduce the impacts of weather-related events. Impact-based forecasts and warnings (IBFW) are being developed by forecasting agencies globally to meet this call. However, there are many challenges facing those implementing such systems. The WMO World Weather Research Programme High Impact Weather project sought to understand the future direction of research on IBFW systems. This research involved a virtual workshop series in late 2022 with over 350 international registrants to identify and analyse challenges that people are facing in developing IBFW systems, and potential solutions. We found that challenges relate to ten themes, in addition to defining the measures of success of an IBFW system Examples of key research gaps are to develop evaluation methods to explore the value of multi-hazard IBFW, in terms of collating data at appropriate scales, and including avoided losses, behavioural responses, and unconventional observations. We need to explore the value of using quantitative approaches in comparison to more efficient qualitative approaches, as well as of dynamic exposure and vulnerability data sets, and tailored warnings. We must investigate how to effectively communicate uncertainty and explore the governance of underpinning data. Further research on these topics will assist with the successful implementation of more meaningful warnings globally, whilst considering the feasibility and effectiveness of the efforts involved. This is our contribution to reducing the impacts of future hazards, at a time where climate-related events are expected to increase in severity.