Pilot Study

The structure of the report is articulated into three major Parts. The first Part is focused on the structure of the flash flood observational system, which includes the Hydrometeorological observatories and the methodology for post event survey. A subsection is devoted to the analysis of the resolution requirements for flash flood modelling....

Observation of storm rainfall for flash-flood forecasting Volume 1- radar structured algorithm system (SAS)

A radar structured algorithm system (radar SAS) has been set up and assessed by the FLOODsite Task 15 partners. This system is aimed at improving quantitative precipitation estimation of storm rainfall for flash-flood forecasting in mountainous regions. A number of innovative quantitative pprecipitation estimation (QPE) algorithms aimed at a...

Hill-slope Hydrological Model for Flash Flood

The hydrological response of catchments is influenced by the lanscape characteristics. Both channel networks and hillslopes play a major role in the propagation of water within catchments, and therefore influence the generation of floods. In mountainous regions, the importance of subsurface flows has been recognized for a long time (e.g. Dunne...

Parameterisation of hydrological model for application in ungauged basins

From a classical point of view, hydrological models can only provide warnings on key points of the river drainage system, previously identified as risk points and with available hydrological records. However the new ideas about flood warning and active control strategies require tools able to take into account the particular spatial and temporal...

Spatial rainfall distirbution and hydrological controls of flash-flooding

The objectives of this action are: i) identification of the critical controlling processes (related to soil properties, topography and precipitation variability) for extreme flood response in humid, mountainous basins in the central-eastern Italian Alps ii) identification of dependencies between control processes and space-time scales of...

Increasing the forecasting lead-time of Weather Driven Flash-floods

In the first section we define the problem of flash-flood forecasting and we list the main scientific issues that need to be addressed. In the second section we briefly describe the previous European programmes devoted to flash flood. The dispersion of the efforts within programmes that were not only concerned by flash flood lead to the...

A combining analysis of three Catastrophic Precipitating Events over Western Mediterranean region

Within the framework of FLOODsite, specific attention is dedicated to improve our understanding of flash flood. Flash floods differ markedly from floods occurring on larger basins with larger time characteristics. Flash floods are produced by rain accumulations of typically more than 200 mm during less than 6 hours over natural watersheds...