World meteorological organization

Monthly Agro-Met bulletin: www.weather.gov.dm/agro_bulletin.php

Cold wave: Minimum temperature less than the 10^th percentile.

Cold spell: a spell of three or more days, with the minimum temperature of -30°C or less on each day.

For cold spell: wind chill factor is used.

Warnings: www.ilmateenistus.ee/ilm/prognoosid/hoiatused/?lang=en.

Monthly summaries: www.ilmateenistus.ee/kliima/kuukokkuvotted/,

Seasonal summaries: www.ilmateenistus.ee/kliima/aastakokkuvotted/ulevaated/,

Yearbook: www.ilmateenistus.ee/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/aastaraamat_2014.pdf.

Finnish Meteorologial Institute (FMI)

Three days duration is required for issuing a warning for a warm spell.

Awareness level 2 (very warm): Tmax > 30^oC and Tmin > 18^oC for at least three days (orange)

Awareness level 3 (extremely warm): Tmax > 3^oC and Tmin >20^oC for at least three days (red).
Cold weather:

Three days duration is not required, so temporary exceeding of above thresholds is sufficient for issuing a warning for a cold spell.

Awareness level 2: <-20^oC / -25^oC / -30^oC (orange)

Awareness level 3: <-20^oC / -25^oC / -30^oC (red).

FMI has developed its own forest fire index algorithms in collaboration with rescue services. Forest fire indices are monitored routinely by the Safety Weather Service and in case of exceedence of certain threshold forest fire warning will be issued.

Tropical night = minimum temperature during night over 20 °C.

FMI Safety Weather Service is responsible for issuing weather warnings on 24/7 basis. Heat wave and cold spell warnings have been available since 2011.

Heavy rain of long duration, warning limits, per 24 hours:

Awareness level 1: 50mm (yellow),

Awareness level 2: 70mm (orange) and

Awareness level 3: 120mm (red).
Downpour of short duration, warning limits, per hour:

Awareness level 1: 20mm (yellow),

Awareness level 2: 30mm (orange) and

Awareness level 3: 45mm (red).

Thunderstorms: (mostly only in Finnish):

Monthly climate summaries (only in Finnish):

Thunderstorm climatology of Finland:

Meteo France (MF)

In 2006, an operational method was created at national level to record heat waves using a national heat indicator (an average of 30 sets of data per day since 1947) based on the average temperature. It employs three thresholds (a threshold of 26°C above which a heat wave is identified, beginning/end dates which indicate the duration of an event, and an interval threshold of 20°C which enables two consecutive events to be grouped together).

This method was further developed in 2015 to incorporate parameters based on statistical distribution (99.5 percentile – 97.5 percentile and 95 percentile) so that it could be applied to all regional and local sets of data. These parameters are in line with the climate normal 1981-2010. The minimum duration of an event is five days (for further details see attached article.

(Title/citation needed)

Monthly, seasonal and annual summaries:

Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS)

No definition for cold spell.

Also, regionally, thresholds based on climatology are set.

a. Proceedings of the International Conferences on Meteorology, Climatology and Atmospheric Physics (COMECAP), Hellenic Meteorological Society (www.emte.gr).

b. Academy of Athens (www.academyofathens.gr)

Other related scientific publication is listed in Appendix D below.

Monthly summaries:

Annual summaries:

Agency for Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG)

Slight rain: 5-20mm/24hr or 1-5mm/hr.

Moderate rain: 20-50mm/24hr or 5-10mm/hr.

Heavy rain: 50-100mm/24hr or 10-20mm/hr.

Very heavy rain: >100mm/24hr or >20mm/hr.

Monthly summaries:

Iran Meteorological Organization (IMO)

Heat wave:

- At least four days with Temperature>40°C.

- Temperature with two or three standard deviation above average.

Cold spell:

- A rapid fall in temperature within 24-hour (10°C lower than previous day),

- Temperature with two or three standard deviation below average.

National Climate Research Institute (CRI):

Monthly, seasonal and annual climate summaries are available in the websites:

Iran Meteorological Organization: www.irimo.ir

Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)

JMA provides weekly, monthly and seasonal monitoring reports on extreme climate events with brief descriptions of disastrous events in the world (including heat waves and cold spell). Especially, JMA pays attention to extremely high temperatures in summer and extremely low temperatures in winter in consideration of heat waves and cold spells and their impacts. In these monitoring reports, descriptions of disastrous events and their impacts are based on reports from the government authorities, the international organizations and the media.

Monthly and Seasonal Highlights on the Climate System to summarize the status and analysis of climate in Japan and world, climate system and oceanic condition:

However, JMA does not have any indices to use for monitoring drought.

JMA uses percentile values of 7/14/28/42/56-day averaged temperature at the certain observation point and 10-day/one-month/three-month mean division-averaged temperature to classify the climate condition into five categories. For example, JMA classifies “significantly above normal” temperature in the case a temperature anomaly exceeded its 90th percentile and “significantly below normal” temperature in the case a temperature anomaly was lower than its 10th percentile.

JMA uses percentile values of 7/14/28/42/56-day accumulated precipitation amount at the certain observation point and division-averaged precipitation amount accumulated over the past 10-day/one-month/three-month to classify the climate condition into five categories. For example, JMA classifies “significantly above normal” precipitation in the case a precipitation amount anomaly exceeded than its 90th percentile. JMA provides weekly, monthly and seasonal monitoring reports on extreme climate events with brief descriptions of disastrous events in the world (including heavy rain). JMA also issues Monthly and Seasonal Highlights on the Climate System to summarize the status and analysis of climate in Japan and world, climate system and oceanic condition.

Monthly and Seasonal Highlights on the Climate System

Annual Report on the Climate System

Cold wave: at least six consecutive days with Tmin<10^th percentile.

Other paper: S.S. Baisholanov and E.N. Mukanov, "The zoning and assessment of growing-season aridity in the Republic of Kazakhstan".

Cold Spell Duration Index: the total number of days during the year when the daily minimum air temperature<10^th percentile for at least six consecutive days.

Heavy snow: at least 20mm of precipitation/12hr or less.

Yes, monthly bulletins with maps of temperature and precipitation anomalies. The Annual Bulletin of Climate Change Monitoring in Kazakhstan, provides information on: monthly, seasonal and annual anomalies of temperature and precipitation levels with assessment of the probability that those anomalies will not be exceeded; Long-term trends in monthly, seasonal and annual temperature and precipitation levels; Values of indices of extremes of temperature and precipitation; and the long-term trends in the those indices.

a) When normal maximum temperature of a station is to 35°C, 6°C- 10°C above normal is considered as heat wave.

b) When normal maximum temperature of a station is 35°C, 5°C- 7°C above normal is considered as a heat wave.

c) When actual maximum temperature remains 42°C or more regardless of normal maximum temperature, heat wave is declared.

Normal period used is 1961-1990.

Link to the paper: sds-was.aemet.es/materials/technical-reports/SDSWASNAMEE2015001SDS_LIBYA.pdf

The threshold for the high and low temperatures over a 24-hour period is based on values exceeding return periods of one, five, 10 and 20 years. These return periods are calculated with a resolution of 0.2° longitude x 0.2° latitude over continental Mexico.

Each year, the National Meteorological Service contributes to the American Meteorological Society "State of Climate" report, publishing relevant aspects of Mexico’s climate.

Currently the CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) is implemented for weather events such as tropical cyclones and cold fronts; It is intended that this is to be extended for heat waves and cold spells.

• Heavy rain: from 25.1-50mm.

• Very heavy rain: from 50.1-75mm.

• Intense rain: from75.l-150mm.

• Torrential rain: from 150.1-250mm.

• Exceptional rainfall: in excess of 250 mm.

For climate summaries go to: Climate section >> Mexican Climate Report.

Cold wave is typically defined as two or more consecutive days where the daily minimum temperature falls 7 deg C to 8 deg C than the Normal condition (1961-1990) in two Regions or two States.

If rainfall is three consecutive dekad below normal, then the third dekad can be defined as first period of drought. If this below normal condition is continued to the following dekad, then the fourth dekad is defined as second period of drought, etc.

KNMI

Heat wave : At least 5 days with Tmax>25^oC where minimum 3 days have Tmax>30^oC.

See metservice.com/warnings/weather-warning-criteria.

Extreme events and their impacts are reported in NIWA’s monthly climate summaries. NIWA also operates a web-based service called the ‘High Intensity Rainfall Design System’ (www.hirds.niwa.co.nz) which is used to evaluate the rarity of heavy rainfalls.
Annual indices are reported to WMO, at a subset of better-quality stations. These are:

• 
  Annual total wet-day rainfall (PRCPTOT), - only counts days with >= 1mm,
  
• 
  Annual count of heavy rain days (days with rain > 25mm) (R25),
  
• 
  Annual maximum 1-day rain total (RX1DAY),
  
• 
  Annual maximum 5-day rain total (RX5DAY),
  
• 
  Extreme wet-day rainfall (the size of the top 4 rain events per year, in fact sum of daily rain if daily rain exceeds long-term 99th percentile), (R99).
  

Climate summaries:

Example on Weekly Rainfall Bulletin (Boletín semanal de lluvias) and Synoptic Monitoring of South America and its Outlook (Vigilancia Sinóptica de Sudamérica y su perspectiva) available from www.senamhi.gob.pe/?p=0701

The RX1day index is used (maximum 1-day precipitation amount, measuring the monthly maximum 1-day precipitation amount in mm), which is also used in climate change studies.

Drought:

El Niño:

Monthly National Climate Bulletin/“Boletín Climático Nacional” www.senamhi.gob.pe/?p=0701

Monthly and annual climate statistics are produced, but not published in the website.

GMI drought monitoring and annual report of Rainy Season of Thailand.

RClimdex is used for the 1951-2012 rainfall data. (unclear)

But TMD produce routine monthly summaries www.tmd.go.th/en/climate.php?FileID=4, annual and seasonal summaries www.tmd.go.th/en/climate.php?FileID=5

(Roshydromet)

Abnormally cold weather: During the period from October to March, Tave<7°C for 5 days or longer.

Decadal drought monitoring data is also presented on the website of the North-Eurasian Climate Centre

For drought monitoring a number of aridity indexes are in use:

1) Selyaninov's Hydrothermal Coefficient (HTC);

2) Shashko's Moisture Indicator (Md);

3) Protserov's Moisture Indicator (V, %);

4) Number of days with Relative Humidity <30% (N0);

5) Number of days with a maximum air temperature> 30 °C (Nr);

6) Amount of productive moisture in the soil layer of 0-20 em under winter crops, early summer crops and late spring crops (W0-20);

7) Amount of productive moisture in the soil layer of 0-50 em under winter crops, early summer crops and late spring crops (W0-50);

8) Amount of productive moisture in the. soil layer of 0-100 em under winter, early sununer and late spring crops (W0-100).

A detailed description of the indices in use is provided on the website of the North-Eurasian Climate Centre: seakc.meteoinfo.ru/climatemonitoring.

Information: www.meteoinfo.ru/extrainfopage.

(Regulations on the actions of institutions and organizations in case of threat of the emergence and occurrence of natural hazards), the following terms are used in Russia to determine the extreme heavy rainfall: heavy rain, very heavy rain (very heavy sleet, very heavy wet snow, very heavy snow with rain), very heavy snow. The criteria of hazardous events are set by the territorial authority for the territory it serves taking into account the 10% recurrence values of meteorological parameters.

Heavy rain: heavy showers with the amount of precipitation>30mm over the period of not more than 1 hour.

Very heavy rain: considerable wet or mixed precipitation (rain, torrential rain, sleet, wet snow) with the ammmt of precipitation of at least 50 mm (in shower/mudflow-prone mountain areas- 30mm) over a period of no more than 12 hours.

Very heavy snow: considerable solid precipitation (snow, snow showers) with the amount of precipitation of at least 20mm over a period of no more than 12 hours.

Review of extreme climate events on RIHMI-WDC site:

Updated database of adverse weather conditions:

Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia (RHMSS)

First: 5 consecutive days of Tmax>5.1 degrees above the long term Tmax average for climate standard normal period (1961-1990, 1971-2000, 1981-2010) for all 28 main meteorological stations.

Second: 5 consecutive days of Tmax exceeding the 90^th percentile value.

Third: based on WHO recommendation on specific temperature threshold influencing health, criteria of heat wave for each of the 28 municipalities in Serbia that unfavorably affects the health, thresholds for Tmax have been defined which should last for three or more consecutive days.

Also heat wave and cold waves are summarized in monthly, seasonal and annual bulletins.

Weekly Climate Watch Bulletins are issued based on monthly and seasonal forecasts.

Routine reports:

A detailed analysis of the observed climate trends is available on

Slovak Hydrometeorological Service (SHMI)

Monthly and annual climate summaries:

Tropical nights: days on which the temperature does not dip below 20° C.

Icy days: days on which the temperature remains below 0° C.

Warning levels depends on the Heat Index and the duration for the event. Warning levels explained in: www.meteoswiss.admin.ch/home/weather/hazards/explanation-of-the-danger-levels/heat-wave.html, while heat index is defined as in: www.nws.noaa.gov/om/heat/heat_index.shtml.

Interior regions: 39-40 °C, plus or minus 0.5 to 1 °C.

Coastal regions: 36-37 °C, plus or minus 0.5 to 1 °C.

Heat wave criteria is 3 consecutive days of Tmax > Q3 (third quartile).

No definitions for cold spells.

Indices:

• Rainfall (Amount and relation to average).

• Water volumes in reservoirs.

• Groundwater levels.

page: Regional Climate Centre RCC-RA I (currently in testing phase).

Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), and the Hydrothermal Coefficient (HTC).

In Ukraine regular drought monitoring is carried out by the organizations of the hydrometeorological service. It includes: the collection, processing, aggregation, classification and analysis of information; the drafting of recommendations and expert findings; and the provision of information to various users.

England has a ‘Heat Wave Plan’: www.gov.uk/government/publications/heatwave-plan-for-england for further details, noting that the definitions/thresholds used differ from the WMO definition.

England has a cold weather plan available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/cold-weather-plan-for-england-2014.

List of samples of publications given in Appendix B below.

Routine reports from National Climate Information Centre publishes this information at www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/summaries

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Routine climate reports:

Uzhydromet

Drought bulletins are available from the Drought Management Center.

Publications are available from climatechange.uz.

Review of monthly weather conditions is printed and distributed to interested users.

This review is sent to North Eurasia Climate Centre (NEACC), and published on the website: seaks.meteoinfo.ru.