Caribbean Countries Advance Impact-Based Forecasting as 2026 Hurricane Season Begins

Twenty-five (25) representatives from seventeen (17) Caribbean countries and territories have strengthened regional efforts to improve early warning systems, following the successful conclusion of the Regional Workshop on Impact-Based Forecasting and Warning Services (IBFWS) and the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), held from 26–29 May 2026 in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

The workshop was jointly organised by the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), with funding support from the Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Caribbean Project. The workshop focused on strengthening national and regional capacity to transition from traditional weather forecasting to Impact-Based Forecasting and Warning Services, which communicate not only what weather hazards are expected, but also who may be affected, what impacts are likely to occur, and what actions should be taken to reduce risk.

Participants from Caribbean National Meteorological and Hydrometeorological Services, Disaster Risk Management agencies, regional organisations and development partners engaged in technical discussions, simulations and practical exercises, along with roadmap development activities aimed at accelerating implementation of Impact-Based Forecasting and Warning Services and the Common Alerting Protocol throughout the Caribbean.

A major highlight of the workshop was a series of hands-on table-top exercises that exposed participants to operational experiences from Caribbean countries that have already begun implementing impact-based forecasting. Participants also worked through simulated realistic high-impact weather scenarios, developing impact-based warning messages and recommended protective actions for decisionmakers and the public.

The workshop revealed a common regional vision among participants for strengthening Multi Hazard Early Warning Systems through improved coordination, people-centred communication, standardised operating procedures and enhanced warning dissemination capabilities. A major outcome of the workshop was the agreement to continue to work beyond the workshop as a group; to provide a platform for peer learning, operational collaboration, technical exchange and the sharing of lessons learned across the region.

At the end of the workshop, participants reaffirmed the importance of strengthening partnerships among meteorological services, disaster management agencies, governments and regional institutions to ensure that forecasts are translated into actionable warnings that protect lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure and agreed to continue advancing IBFWS across the Caribbean in support of the United Nations Early Warnings for All Initiative. (CMO Press Release)

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