RA VI Working Group on Services and Applications' Fifth Meeting - Highlights

The RA VI Working Group on Services and Applications met on 26 November 2025 to advance regional coordination and strengthen weather, climate, and water services. Interim leadership ensured smooth continuity, and Dr Monika Lakatos, from Hungarian Meteorological Service, was welcomed as a new Vice-Chair on Climate Services to support the ongoing work. 

Participants discussed continuous improvements in forecasting, including better integration of observational and model data to deliver more impact-focused regional services. Progress on MEDCOF and seasonal forecasting was highlighted, with clear pathways to turn seasonal outlooks into actionable early warning products. Drought services were a key topic, including updates on a regional drought products inventory and efforts to support proactive management, monitoring, and early warning. Early warning initiatives under the EW4All framework continue to expand, covering country support, platform enhancements, drought-focused activities, AI-assisted forecasting, and capacity development through training and research–operations links.

Hydrology coordination was a key focus, with regional bodies working together to ensure consistent and authoritative water information, supported by impact-based case studies. The Group confirmed that the State of Climate and State of Water reports should remain separate but coordinated, emphasizing consistency, verification, and strong climate–water links. In parallel, data stewardship advances through dashboards, improving data quality, accessibility, and harmonization. 

Looking ahead, the next meeting on 25 February 2026 will include updates from the RCC Coordinator on recent coordination team discussions, as well as reviews of drought and hydrology coordination, seasonal forecasting, EW4All implementation, marine services, and data stewardship.