The Basque Impact Weather Catalogue

Abstract

This paper introduces the Basque Country impact weather catalogue, a versatile tool designed, developed, and maintained by the Basque Meteorology Agency (Euskalmet), with the primary objective of systematically recording detailed information regarding adverse weather events that generate some degree of impact in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC). The catalogue serves as a repository where information is gathered for the comprehensive characterisation and evaluation of extreme weather events, focusing on both environmental conditions and their associated impacts. For this purpose, three key aspects are included: context, hazard and risk and impact. In the context section, we include information about the date, duration, spatial extent, measurement statistics data, synoptic/mesoscale aspects, and other metadata. The hazard and risk section includes information about hazard and risk typology according to Euskalmet severe weather criteria and warnings procedure. Regarding the impact, a range of metrics and indicators are defined to characterise critical aspects, encompassing the severity of impact including economic damages, human fatalities, and disruptions to normal life. The creation of the Catalogue involves utilising various data sources and repositories, not only from Euskalmet but also, particularly in terms of impact, from emergency interventions, newspapers, local media websites, social media, and data from the Spanish Insurance Consortium. While the volume of available material from each event description may vary from case to case, a standardised information structure and minimum content are imperative for all registered events. This ensures that qualitative analyses based on extensive reports, and quantitative analyses based on recorded or estimated metrics and indicators, are possible for events included. This paper outlines into the design and structuring of the catalogue, and the fundamental steps undertaken during its implementation.