The Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University will host a one-day workshop to discuss coordination, development, and customization of impact-focused hazardous weather predictions for Texas. This workshop is aimed at both producers and consumers of weather forecasts, including those working for state and federal agencies, power utilities, and local authorities. 

Texans experience many different types of hazardous weather. Their impacts can range from modest disruption to severe emergencies. The importance of being prepared for hazardous weather is underscored by events such as the 2021 Winter Storm Uri, the compounding disasters of the 2024 derecho and Hurricane Beryl in Houston, and the 2025 July 4-5 flooding in the Hill Country. Each of these events led to significant property damage and loss of life. We will discuss potential mitigation of the impact of such disasters in the future through improved forecasts of possible severe weather events customized to the needs of stakeholders across Texas.

The goal of the one-day workshop is to bring together stakeholders across the state to identify both specialized and common needs relating to hazardous weather prediction. The workshop will be held at the Hilton College Station on Thursday, Sep. 24, 2026 (immediately preceding the Texas Weather Conference scheduled for Sep. 25-26 at the same location).

The workshop will feature brief talks/presentations and substantial discussion time. Issues to be discussed at the workshop will include:

● What weather hazards are of greatest concern to your operations?

● What is the prioritized list of forecast information that would help stakeholders be better prepared for different kinds of hazardous weather?

● What forecast lead times are necessary for adequate decision-making?

● Do currently available forecasting products provide this information or will new products need to be developed? 

● What additional real-time data is needed to supplement the forecasts?

● What new education and training related to weather forecasting and communication would be most beneficial? 

Discussions at the workshop can help facilitate:

● Better coordination and sharing of forecast-related information and forecast product development across state and federal agencies, utilities and local governments

● Customization of existing forecasting products for state-specific needs to provide forecasts/outlooks with more relevance, spatial detail, or temporal frequency

● Development of new and emerging technologies such as AI/ML that could improve forecasts using data from local sources. (For example, mobile observational platforms could be deployed to carry out targeted local observations to improve forecasts of approaching severe weather systems.)

● Provision of forecast/outlooks in a format and at a timescale tailored to support state and local decision-making, considering best-case and worst-case scenarios

● Development of education and training programs to help end-users better interpret and use hazardous weather forecasts and outlooks