High Impact Weather Lake System (HIGHWAY) Project

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Objectives

Have an established, effective institutional framework for an Early Warning System (EWS) for the East Africa Region
Strengthen integration between producers and user to develop innovative, accurate tailor-made EWS products through co-production for the East African Region, mainly through activities focused on fellowships and knowledge transfer
Improve methods and strengthen capacity for communication and promoting understanding and use of EWS products with relevant producers, technicians, forecasters, intermediaries and users in the East African Region

Outcomes and Impact

The expected outcome of the HIGHWAY project is increased access to and use of co-designed and sustainable early warning systems to inform regional, national, sub-national and community level planning and decision-making in the East African region.

The outcome indicatiors are:

The number of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) accessing new/improved EWS for improved decision making
The number of households and institutions able to access and use new or improved EWS information

The expected impact of the project is an increased use of weather information to improve resilience and reduce the loss of life and damage to property supporting sustainable economic development in the East African Region.

The impact indicators are:

The number of people with improved resilience resulting from the use of EWS
The value of avoided losses due to use of climate information

Achievements

2017

Value For Money guidance and benchmarking guidance issued
Socio Economic Benefits method paper and recommendations for impact indicators issued
Project launched at the AMCOMET Africa Hydromet Meeting where focal points and steering committee members from the implementing partners were appointed
First steps for the establishment of an integrated regional platform and institutional agreement for the regional Autom network initiated
User engagement activities commenced in both Uganda and Tanzania
Work Plan developed for strengthened integration between producers, users and intermediaries to co-develop new and improved early warning system products that take into account user needs and are communicated in a way that increases awareness, understanding, and use of EWS in the Lake Victoria Basin

2018

Letters of agreement signed between WMO and implementing partners
Gap analysis workshop held in Arusha to identify the observational needs and gaps for the improvement of weather forecasts and warnings over Lake Victoria and its immediate vicinity
Draft of Business Plan (BP) issued and shared with implementing partners
36 forecasters and technicians from the 4 WISER countries received Impact Based Early Warning System (IBEWS) training at the national events in Uganda and Kenya or the regional event in Kigali. 8 forecasters or technicians from 3 other EAC countries received trained at the joint Highway/SWFDP event.
Preliminary studies related to radar and lightning data from the project presented as scientific talks at two international conferences.
14 new 3D-PAWS installed for the Field Campaign
FOREST, a website for inter-comparison of NWP and nowcasting developed and made accessible to all partners.
Field Campaign catalog web portal created for posting all severe weather events occurring over Lake Victoria during and after the FC period: http://catalog.eol.ucar.edu/highway
MODE-S receivers installed in major airports in each partner country

2019

A Regional Impact Based EWS (RIBEWS-1) event was held with the aim of co-development of an impact based EWS and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) of disseminating the EWS products
A RIBEWS-2 was held for mapping of way forward in the implementation of the IBEWS products in the Lake Victoria Basin (LVB).
A co-hosted Regional WMO Integrated Global Obersving System (WIGOS) Centre in the EAC region was established
The EAC sectoral council of Minister of Transport, Communication and Meteorology (TCM) endorsed the Regional Early Warning Vision 2025 and a concept note for its implementation was produced.
The capacity and investment needs of HIGHWAY Sustainability Plan was mapped and its overall investment need was defined. Subsequently, a 1 to 1.5M GBP potential funding proposal was designed
WISER resilience pilot study conducted in Kenya
KMD and UNMA successfully launched their first radiosonde sounding from their new Upper Air Stations (UAS) at Lodwar and Entebbe, respectively
TMA signed a radar maintenance contract with EEC and initiated the procurement of radar spare parts following the calibration and maintenance of Mwanza radar
Hydrogen Generator system (HGS) installation completed in Kenya
Training of community intermediaries in the Ssese Islands, Uganda
“Dual-Polarization Radar Observations of Deep Convection over Lake Victoria Basin in East Africa” paper published

2020

The meeting of the Heads of meteorological Services of the East African Community endorsed high-level recommendations related to the Vision 2025 for adoption by ministers, paving the way to the concrete implementation of the EAC Regional EWS Vision 2025
Research and fellowships activity started with the goal of improving early-career scientists engagement in post-graduate research projects through collaboration and/or fellowships in the area of EWS.

High Impact Weather Lake System (HIGHWAY) Project

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