Weather risk management for crops

What is weather risk management?

Climate volatility is one of farming’s toughest challenges.

Weather risk management is the practice of anticipating weather-related threats and responding before they impact your crops. To manage this effectively, growers need accurate climate forecasts that predict changing conditions days or even weeks in advance.

A weather early warning system delivers these insights and translates them into timely alerts that turn potential risks into proactive decisions.

What is a weather early warning system?

A weather early warning system detects, monitors, and predicts adverse weather events—such as heavy rain, drought, frost, heatwaves, or strong winds—and alerts growers in advance so they can take action to protect their crops.

Why does a weather early warning system matter?

Sudden shifts in temperature, humidity, wind patterns, and other climate factors can easily go unnoticed until crop outcomes are affected. Meanwhile, extreme weather events are only becoming more unpredictable with every season, making it harder to rely on experience or historical patterns alone.

Instead of waiting for visible signs of crop damage or distress, growers can take action as conditions change. A proactive response can be the difference between a minor setback and a major crop loss.

For smaller scale commercial growers without a dedicated agronomy team, a weather early warning system helps them respond faster to climate shifts and disease risks—without being on the ground 24/7.

What types of weather early warning systems are there?

Public weather watch and warning systems

Across most regions, weather services provide a traffic light monitoring system—watch, warning, alert—designed to communicate the likelihood and severity of adverse weather events. While valuable for public safety, these systems often broadcast regional forecasts that lack the localized precision farmers need for decision-making.

Local crop risk alerts

Where regional systems fall short, local crop risk alerts deliver field-specific insights that actually matter for your crops. They highlight climate forecast conditions that are likely to affect your crop, growing infrastructure, or operational activities on your farm.

The most valuable risk alerts answer three important questions:

Question	Meaning for growers
What is the risk?	Identifies the actual threat—high winds, excessive rainfall, heat stress etc.
When will it happen?	Provides a specific timeframe so you can prepare ahead of the event.
How severe will it be?	Indicates whether intervention is necessary, and how urgent that action is.

Proactive risk alerts give growers the lead time to:

Protect vulnerable crops and infrastructure ahead of damaging weather
Adjust irrigation before stress sets in
Time preventative sprays to minimize drift or wash-off
Plan fieldwork around incoming weather

This means you can move from reactive crop risk management to proactive crop protection. The result is fewer surprises, less yield loss, and more control over outcomes during unpredictable seasons.

How do crop risk alerts help growers manage weather risks?

Risk alerts, such as those featured iIn the GrowPilot app from WayBeyond, offer an easy way for weather risk management for growers to stay ahead of climate-driven crop threats.

Using AI and satellite-based weather forecasts tailored to your exact farm, GrowPilot detects weather risks early and sends real-time alerts through the app. Each alert shows the severity level (moderate/high/severe), expected timing, and recommended actions growers should take.

The current alerts covered are plant stress, heavy rainfall, and high winds, with more alerts coming soon including frost risk and fungal disease risk, such as Botrytis.

Risk alerts in the GrowPilot app

Key takeaways

Here's what matters most when it comes to weather risk management for crops.

1. Act on what's coming, not what's already happened

Climate volatility is one of the biggest threats to crops, yet many growers still respond to extreme weather after the damage is already done. Using a weather early warning system changes that by giving them the ability to anticipate and act on climate risks before they affect crop outcomes.

2. Lead time is everything

A weather early warning system such as risk alerts provides crucial lead time to protect your crops. Whether it’s the next 48 hours or several days out, you can take preventive measures to stop problems from turning into costly losses.

3. Consistency builds resilience

One-off responses won't protect long-term productivity. Regular monitoring, timely interventions, and proactive adjustments—informed by accurate local forecasts—help you stay ahead of threats season after season.

What risks should weather early warning systems measure? What risks should weather early warning systems measure?

There are a number of risks that weather early warning systems should measure for crops including:

Plant stress: Plant stress occurs when environmental demands exceed a plant’s ability to cope through its normal regulatory mechanisms. Plant stress can be indicated by a high Vapor Pressure Deficit (VPD), High VPD causes plants to lose water faster than their roots can replace it, which can lead to overheating and reduced photosynthesis. This may slow plant growth, and in turn, affect fruit size and quality. Prolonged exposure to stressors also weaken the plant’s immunity, making it more vulnerable to pests and diseases.

Heavy rainfall: Heavy rain saturates soil, depriving roots of oxygen and causing erosion and nutrient loss. Wet conditions also promote the spread of fungal diseases and can limit field access for activities such as spraying and harvesting.

High Winds: High winds can physically damage crops and farm infrastructure. They can break stems, tear leaves, abrade fruit, and rapidly dry out plants. During high wind conditions, protective structures like covers, netting and trellises are vulnerable to damage, and spray applications become unsafe due to drift.

How should growers respond to weather early warning systems? How should growers respond to weather early warning systems?

This depends on the risk being measured. For example:

For plant stress: Increase watering to maintain soil mixture, and time irrigation for early morning or late evening when temperatures are lower to reduce evaporation. You should also monitor crops closely for early signs of wilting or leaf curling.
For heavy rainfall: Monitor drainage in low spots and delay all fieldwork until the ground can safely support machinery.
For high winds: Secure all structures and postpone spray applications until conditions stabilize. After winds subside, inspect crops and infrastructure for damage.

What triggers an alert from weather early warning systems for crops? What triggers an alert from weather early warning systems for crops?

An alert is automatically triggered when forecasted weather conditions cross set thresholds. The severity of each alert is determined by both the intensity and duration of the conditions. There are details on this feature in GrowPilot, in the WayBeyond Knowledge Base.

Featured Resources