Halo: Accurate Winter-storm Forecasts

Winter storms cause billions of euros in damage every year across Europe with wind speeds of up to 180 kilometers per hour. The small-scale processes that generate such extreme winds have not yet been explicitly mapped in weather forecast models – a critical shortcoming for reliable extreme weather warnings. In a project supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), KIT, led by Dr. Julian Quinting from the Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research (IMKTRO), coordinates a measurement campaign called „NAWDIC“ (North Atlantic Waveguide, Dry Intrusion and Downstream Impact Campaign) together with other German and international research institutions and weather services. In early 2026 a first ever comprehensive survey of weather systems over the North Atlantic was carried out. Using the German research aircraft HALO (High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft) and the mobile observation platform KITcube, researchers are collecting high-resolution data on wind, humidity, temperature and cloud cover. Coordinated flights through low-pressure areas provide continous spatial coverage of the remote North Atlantic region, where routine operational observations are rare. The insights will, in the long term, enable more precise weather forecasts and more reliable extreme‑weather warnings – a decisive contribution to protecting societies from future storm damage.