In Russia, by 2020-2021, it is planned to launch the new Meteoalarm warning system about natural hazards. This was stated by the head of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) Maxim Yakovenko.

“We are preparing our system of alternative warning about dangerous events in the country, there we will put a comment block where it will be described what this means,” he told TASS.

The system will also notify about the content in the atmosphere of radioactive elements and other substances hazardous to health. Information about all the parameters will be commented so that people understand how to protect themselves.

“Roshydromet and other European meteorological services are now conducting an experiment with the World Meteorological Organization to launch the Meteoalarm in these countries and expand to Russia,” the head of Roshydromet said.

Alert and clarification

The chief specialist of the Moscow Weather Bureau Tatyana Pozdnyakova, in an interview with RT, supported the innovations, noting that it was important not only to notify people, but also to explain what the consequences of natural phenomena are, how you can protect yourself from possible danger.

“This alert should always be due to the fact that people first need to be taught how to react to it correctly. That is, so that it’s not just an alert, but that people know what to do. And most importantly, that these alerts are not false alarms. As, for example, sometimes it happens with alerts about dangerous weather events, ”said Pozdnyakova.

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According to her, people are already used to the routine alerts that Roshydromet sends through the Ministry of Emergency Situations, and often do not attach due importance to them.

“Today is the yellow level of weather danger, tomorrow is orange. But you need to evaluate the danger factor every time and not to scare people again, ”the meteorologist concluded.

Global warning system

In some European countries, the Meteoalarm system is already operating, RT Acting Director Dmitry Kiktev told RT. According to him, the system "turned out to be very visited and in demand." In Russia, a certain similarity of it is available on the sites of the Hydrometeorological Center and Roshydromet, where natural hazard is indicated by colors according to the traffic light principle.

“Now in the world meteorological organization, one of the prominent projects that received wide support is the creation of a global weather warning system. It is assumed that the Roshydromet system, the European system and other regional similar systems will become the building blocks of this global system, ”Kiktyov explained.

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As explained on the official website of the Meteoalarm project in the EU, the system warns of extreme weather conditions in Europe.

The map shows what the weather will be like in the next 24 hours. Potential hazard areas are yellow, orange, and red.

If the weather poses no danger, this area will be indicated in green. Natural hazards are indicated by pictograms warning of thunderstorms, hurricanes, showers, snow, icing, fog and extreme temperatures.

As the acting Director of the Hydrometeorological Center, there will be no contradictions between the Meteoalarm messages in Russia and the Ministry of Emergency Situations warning system, because emergency services always take weather forecasts as the basis.

“Their (MES . - RT ) main function is to watch what the consequences of adverse meteorological phenomena will be. And in the future, this may be air quality, that is, pollution, including radioactive pollution. That is, we (weather forecasters and the Ministry of Emergencies. - RT) seem to complement each other, ”he concluded.

Recall, after the hurricane that took place in Moscow in June 2017, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the mobile telecom operators to send warning messages to the Ministry of Emergencies. Thus, citizens receive messages on the phone about an approaching thunderstorm, heavy rains, strong winds and other natural hazards.