Region VI: Europe

The WMO Regional Office for Europe serves the needs of the 50 Member States, covering Europe, South Caucasus, and the Middle East. The geographical diversity of the region introduces a wide range of climatic and meteorological challenges that have consequential impacts on society and the environment.

A large storm cloud is seen over a city.

The region experiences a variety of extreme weather conditions, from heavy rains and snowfall to heat waves and droughts, further intensified by climate change. These challenges heighten the need for specialized early warning systems and robust weather services.

The Regional Office for Europe supports the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) to strengthen data exchange, operational capacities in monitoring and forecasting, and to develop early warning systems.

Collaboration with key partners, such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), EUMETSAT, EUMETNET, European Union and different UN agencies is crucial in building knowhow and exchanging expertise, aimed at better preparing the region for the challenges caused by the climate change.

The region is diverse in terms of socio-economic circumstances, with highly developed nations alongside emerging economies. This creates opportunities to utilize the technologies and innovations from the developed countries for the benefit of the region as a whole and contribute to the UN 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

For additional information, please contact the Regional Office at roe@wmo.int or visit the Regional Office for Europe on the Community platform.

Flash Flood Guidance System with Global Coverage (FFGS)

Flash floods are among the world’s deadliest natural disasters with more than 5 000 lives lost annually. Their social, economic and environmental impacts are significant. Accounting for approximately 85% of flooding cases, flash floods also have the highest mortality rate among different classes of flooding, including riverine and coastal. Flash floods differ from river floods in their short time scales and occurrence on small spatial scales, which makes flash flood forecasting a different challenge from large-river flood forecasting. In flash floods forecasting, we are concerned mostly with the forecast of occurrence, and focus on two causative events: 1) intense rainfall; and 2) rainfall on saturated soils. Flash floods occur throughout the world, and the development times vary across regions from minutes to several hours depending on the land surface, geomorphological and hydrometeorological characteristics of the region. However, for the majority of these areas, there exists no formal process or capacity for developing flash flood warnings.

Region VI: Europe

Projects in the region

Flash Flood Guidance System with Global Coverage (FFGS)

WMO Offices in the region

WMO Regional Office for Europe (ROE)