| 29 Apr 2026
Review article: Rainfall-Induced Landslide Early Warning System: Advances, Gaps, and Perspectives
Abstract. This review is necessary at this time to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the rainfall-induced landslide early warning system (LEWS) through the lens of the United Nations ‘Early Warnings for All’ (EW4All) framework. This study integrates EW4All pillars, incorporates overlooked literature, examines information sharing in academic publications, and evaluates the global feasibility of implementing EW4All for LEWS. Of 61 rainfall-induced LEWS identified in the literature covering 23 countries, 14 are considered operational, meaning they are currently implemented and actively used for warning purposes, across only 10 countries. Among local, regional, and national systems, local LEWS is often less scalable and more resource-intensive. Most operational systems target debris flows and shallow landslides and rely mainly on rainfall thresholds. While some include susceptibility maps, risk maps are largely absent. Real-time sensor data are used in some systems; however, high maintenance costs limit scalability. Reliability is further constrained by data scarcity, limited forecast verification, suboptimal use of AI, and the lack of standardised forecasting approaches. Community engagement and multi-hazard integration remain limited. Although EW4All is transformative, implementing effective LEWS in rainfall-induced landslide-prone areas worldwide by 2027 remains impractical without localised approaches, sufficient funds, and resources.
Competing interests: At least one of the (co-)authors is a member of the editorial board of Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences.
Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this paper. While Copernicus Publications makes every effort to include appropriate place names, the final responsibility lies with the authors. Views expressed in the text are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.
