edu.ucar.opensky::articles:25501 UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact 2025-12-24T22:52:11.090164 ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data ISO 19115-2:2009(E) https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7kp85vm Taking the HIGHWAY to save lives on Lake Victoria 2022-02-01T00:00:00Z publication https://n2t.org/ark:/85065/d7kp85vm https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0290.1 Roberts, Rita author Goodman, S. J. author Wilson, James W. author Watkiss, P. author Powell, R. author Petersen, R. A. author Bain, C. author Faragher, J. author Chang'a, L. B. author Kapkwomu, J. K. author Oloo, P. N. author Sebaziga, J. N. author Hartley, A. author Donovan, T. author Mittermaier, M. author Cronce, L. author Virts, K. S. author UCAR/NCAR - Library publisher Up to 1,000 drowning deaths occur every year on Lake Victoria in East Africa. Nocturnal thunderstorms are one of the main culprits for the high winds and waves that cause fishing boats to capsize. The High Impact Weather Lake System (HIGHWAY) project was established to develop an Early Warning System for Lake Victoria. Prior to HIGHWAY, weather forecasts for the lake were overly general and not trusted. Under the HIGHWAY project, forecasters from weather service offices in East Africa worked with leaders of fishing communities and Beach Management Units to develop marine forecasts and hazardous-weather warnings that were meaningful to fishermen and other stakeholders. Forecasters used high-resolution satellite, radar, and lightning observations collected during a HIGHWAY field campaign, along with guidance from numerical weather prediction models and a 4.4-km resolution Tropical Africa model, to produce specific forecasts and warnings for 10 zones over the lake. Forecasts were communicated to thousands of people by radio broadcasters, local intermediaries, and via smartphones using the WhatsApp application. Fishermen, ferry-boat operators, and lakeside communities used the new marine forecasts to plan their daytime and nighttime activities on the lake. A socioeconomic benefits study conducted by HIGHWAY found that similar to 75% of the people are now using the forecasts to decide if and when to travel on the lake. Significantly, a 30% reduction in drowning fatalities on the lake is likely to have occurred, which, when combined with the reduction in other weather-related losses, generates estimated socioeconomic benefits of $44 million per year due to the HIGHWAY project activities; the new marine forecasts and warnings are helping to save lives and property. UCAR/NCAR - Library OpenSky Support PO Box 3000 Boulder CO 80307-3000 opensky@ucar.edu http://opensky.ucar.edu/ homepage pointOfContact PDF Text theme Resource Type 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z publication Copyright 2022 American Meteorological Society None eng geoscientificInformation