Regional Training Workshop on PICASO for Advancing Seasonal Climate Services in the Pacific

 April 20-22, 2026

Location: Novotel Hotel, Nadi, Fiji

Background

Building on previous regional training workshops on PICASO, this workshop shifts focus from system familiarization toward operational strengthening of seasonal forecasting practices and applied climate services.

The workshop will support National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in:

• Enhancing in-house seasonal forecast capacity of NMHSs.
• Improving understanding and application of large-scale climate drivers for seasonal forecast production and communication.
• Strengthening linkages between climate prediction and sector decision contexts.
• Regional sector representatives (e.g., agriculture, water, and other priority sectors) will participate to support alignment between climate information products and operational needs.

Objectives

The workshop aims to:

• Strengthen operational seasonal forecasting processes through applied use of PICASO, and identify key gaps for improvement.
• Improve interpretation and communication of seasonal forecasts by strengthening understanding of key climate drivers.
• Examine how NMHSs currently support sector decision-making with climate information and identify opportunities for more effective advisory practices.

Expected Outputs

By the end of the workshop, participating NMHSs are expected to have:

• Clarified and consolidated approaches for operational use of PICASO in NMHS seasonal forecasting workflows, including identified gaps and priority areas for improvement.
• Shared and updated understanding of key climate drivers and their relevance to seasonal forecast interpretation and communication.
• Captured insights on how NMHSs currently provide sector-focused climate information, including sector decision contexts and considerations for enhancing advisory relevance

Target Participants

Each NMHS is requested to nominate:

• 1–2 operational climate or forecasting officers with direct responsibility for seasonal outlook production.

Regional sector organizations will be invited to participate in support of alignment and coordination of sectoral climate service applications.

Agenda