Das Warnsystem des Deutschen Wetterdienstes - Status und Ausblick

The warning system of the German Weather Service - status and outlook: Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), as the National Meteorological Service of Germany, has the legal mandate to issue official warnings about weather phenomena that could pose a threat to public safety and order. In order to fulfil this important task, DWD operates a warning system that is based on meteorological thresholds and that currently distinguishes between up to four warning levels depending on the parameter. Regarding lead time, the current warning system provides three levels covering up to five days. It is well-known by a broad range of users and has undergone only minor adjustments, such as the transition from district to municipal scale warnings. With the program RainBoW, DWD started to renew its warning system. The overarching goal of this program is to align weather warnings more closely with the needs of its users. Specifically, the forecasting horizon of warnings will be extended by a warning trend, and the warnings’ comprehensibility will be improved by communicating possible weather impacts and risks. Since not every application area requires the same meteorological thresholds, individualization of weather warnings is a third field of action.