References

NHESS

Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences

NHESS

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

1684-9981

Copernicus Publications

Göttingen, Germany

10.5194/nhess-8-143-2008

A meteo-hydrological prediction system based on a multi-model approach for precipitation forecasting

Davolio

¹ Miglietta

M. M.

² Diomede

³ ⁴ Marsigli

³ Morgillo

³ Moscatello

Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Bologna, Italy

Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, ISAC-CNR, Lecce, Italy

Regional Hydro-Meteorological Service ARPA-SIM, Bologna, Italy

Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca in Monitoraggio Ambientale (CIMA), Università degli studi di Genova e della Basilicata, Savona, Italy

28 02 2008

8 1 143 159

2008

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The precipitation forecasted by a numerical weather prediction model, even at high resolution, suffers from errors which can be considerable at the scales of interest for hydrological purposes. In the present study, a fraction of the uncertainty related to meteorological prediction is taken into account by implementing a multi-model forecasting approach, aimed at providing multiple precipitation scenarios driving the same hydrological model. Therefore, the estimation of that uncertainty associated with the quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF), conveyed by the multi-model ensemble, can be exploited by the hydrological model, propagating the error into the hydrological forecast. <br><br> The proposed meteo-hydrological forecasting system is implemented and tested in a real-time configuration for several episodes of intense precipitation affecting the Reno river basin, a medium-sized basin located in northern Italy (Apennines). These episodes are associated with flood events of different intensity and are representative of different meteorological configurations responsible for severe weather affecting northern Apennines. <br><br> The simulation results show that the coupled system is promising in the prediction of discharge peaks (both in terms of amount and timing) for warning purposes. The ensemble hydrological forecasts provide a range of possible flood scenarios that proved to be useful for the support of civil protection authorities in their decision.

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