As extreme heat events increase in frequency, intensity, and duration due to climate change, forecasting these events has become vital for early warning systems, public health preparedness, and climate adaptation strategies, especially in parts of the world that are already subject to extreme heat, such as tropical regions. In recent years, machine learning (ML) has increasingly been applied to environmental and meteorological data to improve the prediction of heatwaves and extreme heat events. This scoping review examines global peer-reviewed literature on the application of ML techniques for extreme heat prediction using environmental variables. This includes heatwave prediction, environmental and meteorological predictors used in these models, and the geographical distribution of existing research. A total of 23 peer-reviewed studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the review, following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. The findings indicate that artificial neural networks and random forest models were most frequently reported as high performing within individual studies. However, direct comparisons across studies are limited by heterogeneity in prediction targets, validation strategies, lead times, heatwave definitions, and performance metrics. Temperature-related variables, especially maximum temperature, were consistently identified as the most influential predictors across studies. Furthermore, the evidence base was heavily concentrated in Europe, Asia, and North America, with comparatively limited representation from low- and middle-income countries respective to population, despite these regions often experiencing disproportionate impacts of climate change and extreme heat exposure. By synthesising current evidence on ML-based heatwave prediction, associated environmental predictors, and geographical research trends, this review provides insights to support the development of more robust, context-aware, and globally representative heatwave forecasting frameworks.
Adam Ashford, Fahad Ayaz, M. Shakir et al.· Forecasting· 0 citations
Extreme rainfall events (ERES) are among the most challenging hydro-meteorological phenomena to forecast because the complex, nonlinear atmospheric processes involved span multiple spatial and temporal scales and are further intensified by rising climate variability. While Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models offer physically consistent representations of atmospheric dynamics, they still struggle to resolve localized convection, rapidly evolving storm systems, and rare, high-intensity precipitation events. This study systematically reviews recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for extreme rainfall prediction published between 2020 and 2026, using a transparent literature search strategy, predefined screening criteria, quality assessment, and a structured literature review matrix. The review synthesizes evidence from a final evidence base of 139 studies across several dimensions, including deep learning (DL) methodologies, multimodal data fusion, forecasting horizons, operational deployment, uncertainty quantification, and emerging intelligent forecasting paradigms. The analysis reveals a transition from deterministic DI models to hybrid, physics-informed, uncertainty-aware, and operational forecasting systems that increasingly integrate AI with physical knowledge and heterogeneous environmental observations. Despite notable progress, persistent challenges remain, including data scarcity, class imbalance, model generalization, physical consistency, uncertainty estimation, transferability, and the lack of standardized evaluation frameworks. This review provides a unified synthesis of current methodologies. It identifies key research gaps, highlighting the need for evaluation frameworks that address physical plausibility, uncertainty quantification, reliability, transferability, and operational relevance. The findings indicate that future extreme rainfall prediction systems should advance beyond accuracy-focused evaluation toward integrated, trustworthy, uncertainty-aware, and physically consistent forecasting approaches.
Braiton U. Mukhalela, S. Viriri, D. Ndzi et al.· Frontiers in Artificial Inte...· 0 citations
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