As the global population increases, especially in urban areas, and societies continue to encroach upon floodplains, the need for flash flood early warning systems becomes more paramount.

In response to this need, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, and the Hydrologic Research Center (HRC) formed a partnership in 2007 to develop and implement an early warning flash flood forecasting system (Flash Flood Guidance System – FFGS) for global application.

As of 2021, over 3 billion people in 67 countries are being provided early warnings of potential flash flooding through their National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) working in concert with their National Disaster Management Agencies.

The “Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS) with Global Coverage – Vision 2030” virtual event took place on 16 November 2021, and was attended by 140 representatives from 50 countries.

The goal was to bring together the users of the national and regional systems to show the latest achievements after the FFGS Global Workshop which has held in Turkey in 2019, share best practices on the use of flash flood guidance products, and discuss sustainability in order to ensure long-term operations and service delivery.

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