The animation of the Meteosat-11 Airmass RGB overlaid with Absolute Topography at 500 hPa level isolines, shows the movement of an upper-level low that formed within the large low-pressure centre over the North Atlantic (Figure 2). Such intensive storms and prolonged rain episodes, with excessive precipitation, are becoming more likely with changing climate.Īt EUMETSAT it is part of our mission to support the weather services, who observe and forecast such storms, and the emergency services who support the response and recovery. The reason was the slow-moving nature of the storm, that caused a much more concentrated accumulation of rainfall over the affected area than it would have if the storm had been moving faster. Storms that cause floods occur in western Europe relatively frequently, however, the storm on 14-15 July was particularly devastating. Some large cities, such as Cologne and Düsseldorf, were also affected by the flooding.įigure 1: Meteosat-11 Airmass RGB overlaid with Precipitation rate at ground from geostationary IR channels supported by microwave channels from polar orbiting satellites (HSAF H03B product), 11 July 12:00 UTC-16 July 06:00 UTC. The floods destroyed towns and villages in Germany and Belgium, causing more than 180 casualties and large material damage. This resulted in flooding of urban areas next to small and medium rivers, with catastrophic consequences. Subsequently, over the following two days, 13-15 July, a slow moving low pressure system, passing over the south sast France towards central and southern parts of Germany, led to very heavy, long lasting rainfall events in western parts of Germany and in the border regions of France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands (Figure 1). Liability for the information given being complete or correct.By Silvia Puca (H SAF, Protezione Civile/Italian Civil Protection Department, Presidency of the Council of Ministers), Luca Brocca (CNR-IRPI/ National Research Council of Italy, Research Institute for Geo-Hydrological Protection), Giulia Panegrossi and Alessandra Mascitelli (CNR-ISAC/National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate (CNR-ISAC)), Peter Krahe ( Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde, Federal Institute of Hydrology, Germany), David Fairbairn ( ECMWF), Pierre Baguis ( RMI), Francesco Zauli (HSAF/ Centro Operativo per la Meteorologia, Operational Center for Meteorology (Italian Air Force)), Natasa Strelec Mahovic, Christine Traeger Chatterjee (EUMETSAT) and Ivan Smiljanic (CGI)Ī slow-moving upper-level low, that resided over western Europe for several days, caused very heavy, long lasting rainfall on the already moist soil, resulting in catastrophic floods in western parts of Germany and eastern parts of Belgium, and to a lesser extent, parts of the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland.įirst, a series of precipitation events from 6-12 July led to a large accumulation of rainfall in Switzerland, eastern parts of France and south west Germany. The danger of flooding was rated differently among age groups in Germany, with 13 percent of those aged under 29 years considering the danger very high. However, global warming remains at worrying levels and it will not disappear overnight, which, according to scientists, increases the risk of more flash flooding (sudden strong floods caused by heavy rainfall) in the near future. The number of deaths due to air pollution has fallen, as have CO2 emissions. Germany has made significant progress since the 1990s in several areas related to environmental protection. Experts are also talking about not just rebuilding, but new types of construction being necessary to protect real estate located close to rivers. Complex scientific studies attempt to correlate current climate change indicators with risk factors and predict outcomes to avoid loss of life and destruction as seen in Germany in July. With global warming contributing significantly to summer precipitation levels, Europe's largest economy is possibly facing increased future risk of flooding disasters if things continue as they were.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |