The national "ClimWeb" platform contributes to the development of the multi-hazard early warning system in Syria by providing digital services for disseminating meteorological and climate information and issuing official warnings, thereby enhancing the preparedness of government institutions and local communities to mitigate the impacts of disasters.
Mohammed Diab, head of the Early Warning and Preparedness Department at the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, clarified in a statement to SANA on Monday that the Ministry has activated the platform on its national servers, making it one of the key digital tools for managing and disseminating warnings, and linking hazard monitoring and analysis operations with multiple channels to deliver information to citizens and relevant authorities.
Legal framework and platform operation
Diab stated that the Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management is the national authority responsible for issuing official warnings in coordination with relevant sectoral entities. He noted that the Ministry completed its registration in the Register of Authorities Issuing Warnings (RAA) under the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in April 2026, and that the "ClimWeb" platform was approved by the General Secretariat on 5/5/2026.
It is an open-source platform developed with support from the World Meteorological Organization and in cooperation with the NORCAP program of the Norwegian Refugee Council, enhancing local data hosting and the sustainability of digital services.
Warning services and weather bulletins
Diab indicated that the platform relies on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), providing a technical foundation for exchange with international platforms and partners, and enabling the issuance of multi-hazard warnings, including severe weather, flash floods, floods, heatwaves, cold waves, strong winds, and dust storms. It includes information on the type of hazard, its intensity level, geographic location, expected time period, potential impacts, and preventive measures.
It also provides interactive maps to identify areas exposed to hazards and their impact range, alongside daily, weekly, and monthly weather bulletins issued by the National Center for Meteorology, as well as maritime and navigational notices and products from the Remote Sensing Authority for forest fire forecasting, in addition to sea conditions, wave height, wind speed and direction, and horizontal visibility.
The platform also offers user interfaces in Arabic, English, and Kurdish (Kurmanji), and supports the preparation of warning messages in multiple languages, enhancing information access for various segments of society.
Hazard levels and institutional coordination
Diab explained that the platform uses a color-coded system to indicate hazard levels: light blue indicates very minor impacts, yellow indicates limited impacts, orange indicates severe impacts, and red indicates very severe impacts that may involve significant human or material losses. He emphasized the need to read warning details and accompanying instructions and not to rely on color alone.
He added that the Ministry is working to enhance coordination with entities concerned with meteorology, water resources, dams, health, agriculture, environment, energy, seismic, radiation, and chemical hazards, by designating technical focal points responsible for assessing risks, providing the Ministry with necessary information, and suggesting warnings.
He confirmed that this organization separates the technical responsibility for risk assessment and warning suggestion from the responsibility for coordinating, approving, and disseminating official warnings, thereby enhancing accuracy and reliability and limiting information conflicts.
Community dissemination and international integration
Diab noted that the platform allows sharing warnings via Facebook, X, Telegram, and WhatsApp, expanding their reach and enhancing the role of citizens in disseminating reliable information, especially in hazard-prone areas. He pointed out that the Ministry is working to complete technical integration with Google Public Alerts services, aiming to make Syrian warnings available through Google services, including Maps and search engines, after completing activation requirements, in addition to developing dissemination channels via Short Message Service (SMS) and Cell Broadcast technology, in coordination with relevant telecommunications and media authorities.
Transition to impact-based early warning
Diab affirmed that the Ministry seeks to develop impact-based early warning, which goes beyond predicting natural phenomena to include assessing their potential impacts on populations, property, infrastructure, and essential services, such as estimating the probability of flash floods and the impact on roads, residential areas, camps, and vital facilities due to heavy rainfall.
He explained that this approach helps in taking proactive measures and directing resources toward the most vulnerable areas and groups, supporting the implementation of the UN initiative "Early Warnings for All (EW4All)."
Diab clarified that the platform's services are available via the following links:
Main website:
Warning feed according to CAP protocol:
Interactive warning map:
Daily weather bulletin: (
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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