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Hydrological Sciences

floods

October 2024 floods in the Valencia region, Eastern Spain: One example too many of hazardous debris

, , , and November 6, 2024
October 2024 floods in the Valencia region, Eastern Spain: One example too many of hazardous debris
Overview of UFDs jams in Catarroja after the October 2024 Valencia floods, Spain. Author: Miquel Albert

The recent devastating flash floods in Valencia region, Eastern Spain, have once more highlighted the role of large debris in enhancing urban flood hazard. Urban debris – so-called Urban Flood Drifters (UFDs) – are very varied as shown by a recent survey. They include vehicles, deadwood, waste bins, containers of many types, construction materials, and many other objects. Once these ar ...[Read More]

September 2024 Flooding in Central Europe: The Austrian Experience

September 26, 2024
September 2024 Flooding in Central Europe: The Austrian Experience

Storm Boris is the latest in a series of deluges during one of Europe’s most flood-prone periods in 500 years, yet Vienna managed to avoid major damage. The city’s preparations may offer valuable lessons for other urban areas facing similar challenges.  Dealing With Record Rainfall: September 2024 in Vienna When record rainfall hit Vienna on September 15, the impact was severe: submerged roa ...[Read More]

Communicating science to the public – an example after the recent floods in Germany

January 25, 2024
Communicating science to the public – an example after the recent floods in Germany
Extensive flooding in the Emsland flood area, photo: Flugschule Dankern

After the wet December 2023, the year 2024 started with widespread flooding in parts of Europe. Flooding during winter times is not unusual but brings particular challenges in terms of spatial extent, and the impact on people can be exacerbated when flooding comes with very low temperatures. The exceptionally wet and warm winter necessarily triggers questions from the public about how this links t ...[Read More]

May the year-end be Exceptional, not only hydrologically!

December 21, 2023
May the year-end be Exceptional, not only hydrologically!
Generated with DreamStudio, "beautiful rainy christmas in a river catchment"

What a hydrological year it has been!  From the winter drought and flash floods detailed in Matano and Avanzi‘s blog post to the remarkably warm and wet November 2023, Europe has witnessed a range of extraordinary weather phenomena. In the Alpine region, the convergence of warm and wet weather resulted in numerous rain-on-snow events (see eg. the streamflow recording below), offering valuabl ...[Read More]