Urban Challenges in Rainfall Analysis

Extreme weather, and especially heavy rain, has a major impact on urban populations. Urban flooding and the damage to infrastructure and society are problems in both developing and developed countries. Key challenges in urban settings are to provide good quality detailed weather forecasts, to accurately measure high resolution space-time precipitation fields, to be able to predict impacts on urban systems and their vulnerability, evaluate flood risk and potential practical counter-measures. A new challenge is connected with climate and environmental change and their potential impacts on urban areas in the future. All of these require the attention of a wider community working in urban rainfall.

Following the tradition of previous workshops (1989, 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009)* the main objective of this meeting is to provide a focussed forum for exchanging ideas, experiences, and state-of-the-art science in order to bridge the gap between research 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 and exchange.

* 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), vol. 103 (2012), and of Water Science and Technology, vol. 37 (1998), vol. 45 (2002) >>