HS
Hydrological Sciences

Extreme events

Summary of the August 26th, 2026, Himalayan flash flood

and August 28, 2026
Summary of the August 26th, 2026, Himalayan flash flood
3D view in GoogleEarth, facing the cliff and glacier (on the left) at the source of the event

At the time of preparing this blog entry, we are less than 48 hours after the catastrophe which has hit the Himalaya. While the flow of new information continues, it is useful to summarize and clarify the key points around this event. WHAT? The massive destruction was caused by a flash flood. It was such a high energy that is rarely seen. Numerous videos can be found online.   WHERE? The caus ...[Read More]

Drought in Europe

August 18, 2026
Drought in Europe
On the shore of lake Constance (Ermatingen), 12 Aug 2026, Tobias Wechsler

Many of us are experiencing it right now: Europe is suffering from a long lasting large scale drought (Fig. 1), with record heat and low-flow levels that probably nobody of us has seen before; and current forecasts do not announce any relieve for the coming weeks. The pictures of record low levels in the river Rhine  are scaring – knowing how strongly Europe depends on this fluvial transport ...[Read More]

What machine learning can and cannot tell us about floods

July 23, 2026
Collage based on a picture by Imad Clicks via Pexel

Floods are shaped by complex and nonlinear interactions between weather patterns, rainfall, soil properties, topography, land cover, and how wet a catchment already is. This complexity is one reason machine learning (ML) is increasingly used in hydrology. ML models can learn patterns from large and complex datasets with many variables.  Early in my PhD, while exploring machine learning models for ...[Read More]

HydroTalks: Prof. Thom Bogaard on Water and Landslides, Early Warning Systems, and IAHS-HELPING Decade

and July 9, 2026
HydroTalks: Prof. Thom Bogaard on Water and Landslides, Early Warning Systems, and IAHS-HELPING Decade

For episode 11 of HydroTalks, we welcomed Prof. Thom Bogaard of Delft Technical University and visiting professor at Kasetsart University, Bangkok. His research explores the intersection of hydrology, geomorphology, ecology, and natural hazards. We discussed his work on understanding how water triggers landslides, improving regional early warning systems, and developing practical solutions that re ...[Read More]