Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System

🎉 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐀𝐇𝐅 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬’ 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦!
𝐀 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐!

The SAHF Forecasters’ Forum has completed 200 weekly sessions of joint multi-model forecast products assessment, knowledge and potential impact guidance sharing, through evolving common understanding on impending transboundary weather and climate extremes through partnership across the countries of South Asia.

Each weekly Forecasters’ Forum systematically reviews short-range, medium-range, sub-seasonal, and seasonal forecast guidance – along with ocean state forecasts - ensuring a shared and continuous understanding of evolving weather and climate hazards across all timescales. We thank our partners at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), National Centre For Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), and Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) for their continued support in the weekly sessions.

The Forum also organizes monsoon reviews by international and regional experts who provide new and additional insights that are useful to the forecasters in the region. In addition, special sessions are convened upon request to examine and respond to extreme weather conditions affecting the member countries.

Since inception, the Forecaster’s Forum has become a key dialogue and consultation platform for duty forecasters of NMHSs of the region on weekly basis so as strengthen early warning readiness of possible extreme weather impacts to help countries better anticipate sub-national weather and climate impacts for improved coordination with emergency response and disaster preparedness agencies.

Through these sessions, the Forecasters' Forum has:
🔹 Improved regional situational awareness through shared weekly forecasts
🔹 Enabled more timely, harmonized early warnings for guiding anticipatory actions by stakeholder agencies
🔹 Enhanced forecaster skills through continuous technical exchange of knowledge, product interpretation and sub-national disaster support applications.
🔹 Built a strong, collaborative community across South Asia

To access the summary of discussions from the Forecasters’ Forum, please visit: https://www.sahf.info/forecasters-forum/

In a region facing rising climate risks, this milestone reflects the power and potential of sustained collaboration. Thank you and congratulations to all forecasters, experts, and partners who make this platform thrive! 🌦️🌍

𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐊-𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐇𝐲𝐝𝐫𝐨-𝐌𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 🇧🇩🤝🇬🇧

From 1-5 December 2025, senior officials and technical experts from the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR), Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), and RIMES, engaged with key UK institutions including the Met Office, Flood Forecasting Centre, Environment Agency (EA), Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UK Center for Ecology and Hydrology, HR Wallingford and lead local flood authorities in Bristol.

As part of the UK - Bangladesh hydromet collaboration supported by the UK Government's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the visit marks an important step in strengthening the countries’ partnership on climate and flood risk management and in assisting national agencies apply advanced hydro-met services to protect lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure in Bangladesh.

Stay tuned as RIMES, together with our government and UK partners, works to translate these learnings into stronger early warning and risk-informed decision-making in Bangladesh.

📢 𝐒𝐀𝐇𝐅 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐁𝐅 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐇𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬

𝟐𝟒-𝟐𝟖 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 – The five-day regional workshop on developing a framework and toolkit for IBF on temperature-related hazards has officially concluded, marking a major milestone in the SAHF IBF Implementation Project. The event brought together national meteorological and hydrological services (NMHS) and key sectoral partners to shape the foundations of national demonstration plans, refine IBF indicators, and define pilot locations for testing new heat and cold season products across South Asia.

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 from the workshop include:
- Drafting of National Demonstration Plans with clear user linkages and priority support needs.
- Identified shared indices and data requirements during small-group discussions which will enable consistent, people-centred IBF products to be tested during the 2026 heat and cold seasons.
- Highlighted the importance of producer–user collaboration, local authority engagement, and community-level testing networks to evaluate real-world effectiveness.

𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 for the project are to:
- Finalize the national demonstration plans
- Conduct of Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop to detail product generation, indicator development, and specific requirements for national-level demonstrations.
- Finalize the Regional Framework and Toolkit based on all inputs received and will be shared soon for stakeholder review.

This workshop was a major step forward in strengthening South Asia’s capacity to deliver actionable, people-centred early warnings for temperature extremes.

Met Office
Bangladesh Meteorological Department
India Meteorological Department
Pakistan Meteorological Department
Maldives Meteorological Service
Department of Meteorology - Sri Lanka

𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐏 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

On 26 November 2025, H.E. Mr. Abdulla Ziyad, Minister of State for Tourism and Environment, Maldives, signed on behalf of the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The signing took place in Bangkok during the Ninth Session of the Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction, held under ESCAP’s Disaster Resilience Week 2025.

The MoU was signed by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Ziyad, Minister of State, Ministry of Tourism and Environment on behalf of RIMES Secretariat Maldives Meteorological Service and Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.

This renewed partnership reinforces the shared commitment of ESCAP and RIMES to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems, enhance capacity development, and promote science-based disaster risk reduction across Asia and the Pacific. It also advances the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and supports the Early Warnings for All initiative.

🌏 Together, ESCAP and RIMES are advancing cooperation for a safer, more resilient Asia-Pacific region.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐭𝐨 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭!

🌧️ The Northeast Monsoon is expected to begin near or later than average for much of northern ASEAN, and near-average for the southern region. Its strength will likely remain close to normal across Southeast Asia.

🌀 Meanwhile, tropical cyclone activity is projected to be above average around the Philippine Sea, and near-average in the Bay of Bengal and South China Sea.

These evolving climate drivers may influence rainfall patterns, temperature anomalies, and storm risks across the region in the coming months.

📄 Read the full Climate Outlook for Southeast Asia here: https://rimes.int/node/1655