Access the latest BOM Forewarned is Forearmed weather tools

Red meat producers will have access to more specific weather and climate information to help make critical business decisions with the latest release of the MLA supported Bureau of Meteorology's (BOM) Forewarned is Forearmed products (FWFA), launched on 24 June 2022.

The new features respond to the growing need for information around unseasonal and extreme weather and climate events to build climate resilience and support better-informed decision making.

Users will be able to drill down to their location to view the chance of unseasonal and extreme rainfall and temperature in the weeks, months or seasons ahead.

BOM’s Manager for Agriculture, David McIver said the tools were informed by red meat producers' day-to-day needs and were developed in consultation with the agricultural industry.

"The tools will help a livestock producer decide when to schedule their muster for the safety of their stock and staff, or a grain grower may choose a window to harvest with confidence that they won't be washed out,” he said.

“We've worked with the sector to understand their needs and develop tools that enhance their decision making capability and reduce their risk.”

Image: Bureau of Meteorology

The new tools provide:

• rainfall and temperature forecasts for weekly, monthly, and seasonal timeframes at specific locations
• the probability of rainfall over a week, month or season exceeding any amount
• outlooks for three-day rainfall bursts at significant measurements of 15, 25, 50 and 75mm.

To support the release, a information session was recoreded that explores the new FWFA forecast products and provide opportunity for Q&A.

Webinar: Forewarned is Forearmed outlooks and new features on the Bureau's website
The webinar provides an overview of the three new tools developed released by BOM. The new features respond to the growing need for information around unseasonal and extreme weather and climate events to build climate resilience and support better-informed decision making. BOM’s Dr Andrew Watkins (Head of Long-Range Forecasts) and Dr Avijeet Ramchurn (Senior Climatologist) presented with Dale Grey (Seasonal Risk Agronomist, Agriculture Victoria) to answer questions about the Forewarned is Forearmed outlooks and new features.

Webinar recording:

The new tools are the final instalment of the five year (2017-2022) Forewarned is Forearmed project, supported by funding from the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program in partnership with rural Research and Development Corporations, state departments and universities. The project is managed by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).

Project partners include: MLA, Grains Research and Development Corporation; Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (AgriFutures Australia); Cotton Research and Development Corporation; Sugar Research Australia Limited; Wine Australia; Dairy Australia Limited; Australian Pork Limited; Australian Bureau of Meteorology; University of Melbourne; University of Southern Queensland; QLD Department of Agriculture and Fisheries; Monash University; South Australian Research and Development Institute; VIC Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.

The tools can be viewed on the Bureau's website.

Additional webinars that provide an overview of stages of the Forewarned is Forearmed project can be found here.