Welcome to the homepage of the 8th INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON PRECIPITATION IN URBAN AREAS

Hotel Laudinella, St Moritz, Switzerland

10-13 December 2009

Rainfall in the urban context: forecasting, risk and climate change

Adverse weather severely impacts the life of people in urban areas. Society at large is paying attention to the quality and horizon of weather forecasts, the risks of getting wet or being flooded, to climate change and its broad impacts, as well as flood risk and flood damage, especially in urban areas. Critical questions are raised with respect to the reliability of climate simulations, the propagation of uncertainty, and the range of consequences for daily life. These are challenges for scientists, practitioners and managers alike.

Following the tradition of previous workshops (1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2006)* the main objective of this event is to provide a focussed forum for exchanging ideas and information in order to bridge the gap between scientific achievements and critical issues that need to be addressed in practice. Accordingly, contributions meeting the workshop themes are welcome on both application oriented basic research and operational urban hydrology. The format of the workshop is informal with presentations, posters and adequate time for discussion.

* Proceedings of the previous workshops were published as special issues of Atmospheric Research, vol. 27 (1991), vol. 42 (1996), vol. 77 (2005), vol. 92 (2009), and of Water Science and Technology, vol. 37 (1998), vol. 45 (2002)