Improving Flash Flood Hydrodynamic Simulations by Integrating Leaf Litter and Interception Processes in Steep-Sloped Natural Watersheds

Using statistical functions and hydro-hydraulic models to develop human vulnerability curves for flash floods: The flash flood of the Taitou catchment (China) in 2016

FF-BERT: A BERT-based ensemble for automated classification of web-based text on flash flood events

Simulating flash flood hydrographs and behavior metrics across China: Implications for flash flood management

<p>In the second half of the 20<sup>th</sup> century, hydrological regimes in central Western Europe were largely characterised by large-scale winter floods. This type of event was predominantly triggered by westerly atmospheric fluxes, bringing moist and mild air masses from the Atlantic Ocean to the European continent. Since the late 1990’s, major flooding events seem to have shifted in time and magnitude. Flash flood events, while being a well-known phenomenon in Mediterranean catchments, are increasingly also reported at higher latitudes. Unlike the large-scale winter flood events, flash floods are of very narrow spatial extension and triggered by rather short, but highly intense rainfall events.</p><p>Here, we focus on the specific case of rivers in Luxembourg that have experienced several flash flood events in recent years, while only small to moderate winter flood events have been reported since the late 1990’s. National hydro-meteorological monitoring and flood forecasting systems have been designed for large-scale floods and are not suited for simulating local flash flood events. Therefore, there is a need to increase our understanding of the hydro-meteorological processes underlying flash flood occurrences in our area of interest.</p><p>While increasing air temperature is known to allow a higher air moisture content that can lead to more intense rainfall events and possible flooding, we moreover hypothesize that the recent increase in flash flood occurrences in Luxembourg is reinforced by a change in atmospheric circulation patterns. To test this hypothesis, we analyse the prevailing atmospheric patterns on rainy days during summer and winter months over the period 1954 - 2019, with a particular focus on rainfall events that lead to moderate and extreme floods. In a next step, we intend to extend our findings for Luxembourg in a larger European context. This analysis should allow to better assess the current situation of hydrological extreme events in central Western Europe in order to take precaution measures and prepare for a diversifying hazard.</p>

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> In recent years, flash floods repeatedly occurred in temperate regions of central western Europe. Unlike in Mediterranean catchments, this flooding behaviour is unusual. In the past, and especially in the 1990s, floods were characterized by predictable, slowly rising water levels during winter and driven by westerly atmospheric fluxes (Pfister et al., 2004). The intention of this study is to link the recent occurrence of flash floods in central western Europe to extreme precipitation and specific atmospheric conditions to identify the cause for this apparent shift. Therefore, we hypothesise that an increase in extreme precipitation events has subsequently led to an increase in the occurrence of flash flood events in central western Europe and all that being caused by a change in the occurrence of flash flood favouring atmospheric conditions. To test this hypothesis, we compiled data on flash floods in central western Europe and selected precipitation events above 40 mm h^&minus;1 from radar data (RADOLAN, DWD). Moreover, we identified proxy parameters representative for flash flood favouring atmospheric conditions from the ERA5 reanalysis dataset. High specific humidity in the lower troposphere (q &ge; 0.004 kg kg^&minus;1), sufficient latent instability (CAPE &ge; 100 J kg^&minus;1) and weak deep-layer wind shear (DLS &le; 10 m s^&minus;1) proved to be characteristic for long-lasting intense rainfall that can potentially trigger flash floods. These atmospheric parameters, as well as the flash flood and precipitation events were then analysed using linear models. Thereby we found significant increases in atmospheric moisture contents and increases in atmospheric instability. Parameters representing the motion and organisation of convective systems occurred slightly more often or remained unchanged in the time period from 1981&ndash;2020. Moreover, a trend in the occurrence of flash floods was confirmed. The number of precipitation events, their maximum 5-minute intensities as well as their hourly sums were however characterized by large inter-annual variations and no trends could be identified between 2002&ndash;2020. This study therefore shows that the link from atmospheric conditions via precipitation to flash floods cannot be traced down in an isolated way. The complexity of interactions is likely higher and future analyses should include other potentially relevant factors such as intra-annual precipitation patterns or catchment specific parameters.

In recent years, flash floods repeatedly occurred in temperate regions of central western Europe. Unlike in Mediterranean catchments, this flooding behaviour is unusual. In the past, and especially in the 1990s, floods were characterized by predictable, slowly rising water levels during winter and driven by westerly atmospheric fluxes (Pfister et al., 2004). The intention of this study is to link the recent occurrence of flash floods in central western Europe to extreme precipitation and specific atmospheric conditions to identify the cause for this apparent shift. Therefore, we hypothesise that an increase in extreme precipitation events has subsequently led to an increase in the occurrence of flash flood events in central western Europe and all that being caused by a change in the occurrence of flash flood favouring atmospheric conditions. To test this hypothesis, we compiled data on flash floods in central western Europe and selected precipitation events above 40 mm h−1 from radar data (RADOLAN, DWD). Moreover, we identified proxy parameters representative for flash flood favouring atmospheric conditions from the ERA5 reanalysis dataset. High specific humidity in the lower troposphere (q ≥ 0.004 kg kg−1), sufficient latent instability (CAPE ≥ 100 J kg−1) and weak deep-layer wind shear (DLS ≤ 10 m s−1) proved to be characteristic for long-lasting intense rainfall that can potentially trigger flash floods. These atmospheric parameters, as well as the flash flood and precipitation events were then analysed using linear models. Thereby we found significant increases in atmospheric moisture contents and increases in atmospheric instability. Parameters representing the motion and organisation of convective systems occurred slightly more often or remained unchanged in the time period from 1981–2020. Moreover, a trend in the occurrence of flash floods was confirmed. The number of precipitation events, their maximum 5-minute intensities as well as their hourly sums were however characterized by large inter-annual variations and no trends could be identified between 2002–2020. This study therefore shows that the link from atmospheric conditions via precipitation to flash floods cannot be traced down in an isolated way. The complexity of interactions is likely higher and future analyses should include other potentially relevant factors such as intra-annual precipitation patterns or catchment specific parameters.

In recent years, flash floods repeatedly occurred in temperate regions of central western Europe. Unlike in Mediterranean catchments, this flooding behaviour is unusual. In the past, and especially in the 1990s, floods were characterized by predictable, slowly rising water levels during winter and driven by westerly atmospheric fluxes (Pfister et al., 2004). The intention of this study is to link the recent occurrence of flash floods in central western Europe to extreme precipitation and specific atmospheric conditions to identify the cause for this apparent shift. Therefore, we hypothesise that an increase in extreme precipitation events has subsequently led to an increase in the occurrence of flash flood events in central western Europe and all that being caused by a change in the occurrence of flash flood favouring atmospheric conditions. To test this hypothesis, we compiled data on flash floods in central western Europe and selected precipitation events above 40 mm h−1 from radar data (RADOLAN, DWD). Moreover, we identified proxy parameters representative for flash flood favouring atmospheric conditions from the ERA5 reanalysis dataset. High specific humidity in the lower troposphere (q ≥ 0.004 kg kg−1), sufficient latent instability (CAPE ≥ 100 J kg−1) and weak deep-layer wind shear (DLS ≤ 10 m s−1) proved to be characteristic for long-lasting intense rainfall that can potentially trigger flash floods. These atmospheric parameters, as well as the flash flood and precipitation events were then analysed using linear models. Thereby we found significant increases in atmospheric moisture contents and increases in atmospheric instability. Parameters representing the motion and organisation of convective systems occurred slightly more often or remained unchanged in the time period from 1981–2020. Moreover, a trend in the occurrence of flash floods was confirmed. The number of precipitation events, their maximum 5-minute intensities as well as their hourly sums were however characterized by large inter-annual variations and no trends could be identified between 2002–2020. This study therefore shows that the link from atmospheric conditions via precipitation to flash floods cannot be traced down in an isolated way. The complexity of interactions is likely higher and future analyses should include other potentially relevant factors such as intra-annual precipitation patterns or catchment specific parameters.

Floods can be classified in four types based on characteristics of the flood event: flash floods of a few hours duration; single-event floods of longer duration; multiple-event floods; and seasonal floods. Flash floods most frequently occur on small headwater basins in association with short-duration convective, frontal, or orographic type storms with high-intensity rain cells. The economic, social, and environmental effects of flash floods are similar to impacts of “river floods” of other types; the major differences being that the effects of flash floods generally occur with little, if any, warning over a very short time period and are generally limited to relatively small areas. However, the effects of flash floods are often catastrophic and may, depending on development and land use in the affected basins, result in large loss of life because of the sudden onset of the flood events.

Arid regions are prone to unprecedented extreme rainfall events that often result in severe flash floods. Using near-real-time precipitation data in hydrological modelling can aid in flood preparedness. This study analyzed rainfall data obtained from Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement (IMERG V. 06) since 2001 to highlight recent trends of extreme rainfall indices for three selected watersheds in the UAE. Additionally, to validate the trends, the present study incorporated CHIRPS (Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data) into the analysis. Furthermore, for the first time, this study assessed the performance of the three products of IMERG in modelling flash flood events in the selected watersheds of UAE. A physical-based, fully distributed model was used to simulate the heaviest storm event. Also, a sensitivity analysis of the model’s output to variations in the input parameters was conducted using the one-factor-at-a-time method. The result of the trend analysis indicated that IMERG and CHIRPS show similar trends in both datasets, indicating agreement and reliability in their observations. However, there are a few instances where IMERG and CHIRPS show slight discrepancies in the nature of the trend. In general, the trend analysis results indicated an increasing trend of total precipitation (mm) and consecutive wet days, which suggests a rise in the risk of flash floods. The simulation of the flash flood event showed that the IMERG final product outperformed the other two products, closely matching the model output of the gauge rainfall data with mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.5, 2.37, and 0.5 for Wadi Ham, Wadi Taween, and Wadi Maidaq, respectively. The model’s performance was positively correlated with the size of the watershed. The sensitivity analysis results demonstrated that the model’s output was most sensitive to infiltration parameters. The study’s outcomes provide a good opportunity to improve near-real-time impact evaluation of flash flood events in the watersheds of the UAE.

Abstract. Recent flash flood impact studies highlight that road networks are often disrupted due to adverse weather and flash flood events. Road users are thus particularly exposed to road flooding during their daily mobility. Previous exposure studies, however, do not take into consideration population mobility. Recent advances in transportation research provide an appropriate framework for simulating individual travel-activity patterns using an activity-based approach. These activity-based mobility models enable the prediction of the sequence of activities performed by individuals and locating them with a high spatial–temporal resolution. This paper describes the development of the MobRISK microsimulation system: a model for assessing the exposure of road users to extreme hydrometeorological events. MobRISK aims at providing an accurate spatiotemporal exposure assessment by integrating travel-activity behaviors and mobility adaptation with respect to weather disruptions. The model is applied in a flash-flood-prone area in southern France to assess motorists' exposure to the September 2002 flash flood event. The results show that risk of flooding mainly occurs in principal road links with considerable traffic load. However, a lag time between the timing of the road submersion and persons crossing these roads contributes to reducing the potential vehicle-related fatal accidents. It is also found that sociodemographic variables have a significant effect on individual exposure. Thus, the proposed model demonstrates the benefits of considering spatiotemporal dynamics of population exposure to flash floods and presents an important improvement in exposure assessment methods. Such improved characterization of road user exposures can present valuable information for flood risk management services.

Impacts of the 2024 flash flood on water quality, pathogenic bacteria and organic contaminant risks in the Albufera Natural Park (Valencia, Spain).

Climate change is affecting the frequency and severity of extreme meteorological and geo-hydrological events hitting the coastal zone of the Campi Flegrei volcanic district (southern Italy), which is prone to a wide spectrum of natural hazards, including volcanism, earthquakes, ground deformation, flash floods, landslides and coastal erosion. This study documents the trend of flash floods affecting the urban area of Pozzuoli, located along the coastline of the Campi Flegrei volcanic area during 1970-2014 time period. An archive research together with the collection of data published on news websites and social media allowed understanding of the triggering and evolution mechanisms of flash floods in the area, as well as the most recurrent damages. Rainfall data collected by the rain gauge located within the Pozzuoli watershed were also analyzed and rainfall properties estimated. Results of this study show an increased frequency of flash flood events occurred in the study area. The variation in flash flood frequency is likely not related to urbanization changes, as no increase of the urban area occurred after the year 2000. The observed increase in the flash flood events in recent years (2000-2014) can be reasonably ascribed to variations in the rainfall regime. Our research provide a contribution for the understanding of flash flood processes in the study area as well as relevant information for hazard and risk assessment.

An integrated approach is carried out to study the hydrogeological conditions in wadi systems. In this chapter, the use of remote sensing and direct current (DC) resistivity techniques was considered to manage the flash flood and explore groundwater in desert lands. As case studies, two wadis at the Eastern and Western Deserts, Egypt, are presented to show the efficiency of using the suggested integrated study. Based on satellite images, remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) techniques are used to identify the regional geology, geomorphological features, lineaments, and active channels regarding flash flood events in desert lands. Consequently, a hydrograph and runoff modeling can be estimated for wadi systems. Furthermore, the calculated flash flood total discharges and the storage capacity of existing mitigation measures can be recognized. From a geophysical point of view, the DC resistivity method can be applied to identify the subsurface layer distributions, image the near-surface lateral heterogeneities, subsurface structures, and potential groundwater zones. Based on geophysical data inversion results, this chapter shows that it is possible to recognize sites for successful dam construction and groundwater bearing zones exploration. Accordingly, the results of these case studies represent the importance of the integrated approach for the flash flood hazards management and its harvesting.

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In the Russian part of Western Caucasus heavy rainfall episodes frequently occur, leading to flash floods that often cause fatalities and severe damage. As soon as climate change is expected to increase the risk of flash floods it is necessary to improve flood forecasting and flood risk mapping as well as other precautionary measures. For this scope the better knowledge of catchment response on heavy precipitation is needed using rainfall-runoff simulation and further hydrodynamic modelling of inundation of urbanized areas.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;There is a number of models used for flash flood simulation. In this study we used an available unit hydrograph model KW-GIUH [1] and a hydrodynamic model STREAM 2D CUDA [2]. KW-GIUH model only schematically describes overland flow over the catchment, nonlinear character of response is introduced via kinematic-wave approximation of the travel time. STREAM 2D CUDA is based on numerical solution of shallow water equations in a two-dimensional formulation according to the original algorithm using the exact solution of the Riemann problem [2], due to which the calculation is performed for the entire catchment without special allocation of the channel network. Models were tested on several flash flood events on the river Adagum (6-7 July 2012, catastrophic flood in the Krymsk town) and the Zapadny Dagomys river (25 June 2015, 24-25 October 2018, Sochi).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Comparison of simulation results was done as the same input data set was used. Input data included DEM HydroSHEDS, measured hourly precipitation and runoff volumes observed on gauges and estimated after high-water marks. Also 10-min water levels from a regional automated flood monitoring system of the Krasnodar Territory were applied. Simulated runoff volumes and peak timing were analyzed. For the Zapadny Dagomys river a forecasting calculation was done using precipitation forecast from COSMO-Ru. For the Adagum river STREAM 2D CUDA allowed to conduct an experiment to assess possible effect from potential reservoir-traps in the tributaries. The results of the rainfall-runoff simulation by the KW-GIUH model can be used as inflow to the boundary of the area for hydrodynamic modeling using STREAM 2D CUDA, also for operational use. Scenario calculations with changing hydraulic conditions at the catchment can be simulated using the STREAM 2D CUDA model itself.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The flood simulation was supported by the Russian Science Foundation under grant &amp;amp;#8470;17-77-30006. Data processing from an automated flood monitoring system in the Krasnodar Territory is funded by Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Krasnodar Territory, grant &amp;amp;#8470; 19-45-233007.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;

Flood is a natural disaster and occurred in different forms. It is also a factor of climate change. Flash flood is a type of flood that occurs within few hours of intensive precipitation. It poses serious threat to urban areas, particularly in less developed countries. Geospatial technology has been very useful in mapping spatial extent and quantified damages associated with flash flood events. Proximity analysis and AHP has been widely utilized in modeling flash flood vulnerable zones. Little was known about MCA ranking method which is considered appropriate for few parameters in making complex decisions. This study utilized MCA ranking method to analyzed flash flood risk within Ntawogba Creek, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Rainfall, slope model, impervious surface and distance to river were used in the decision making. The datasets were processed into common spatial referenced system. Each criterion was scaled from 5 to 1, with 5 being very high risk and 1 very low risk area. Weights were assigned to the criteria based on the importance, with higher weight to criterion that is more important in the decision making process. The weights are; distance to water channel 48, impervious surface 25, slope 22 and rainfall 5. The results obtained showed area of 93.0ha as very high flash flood risk representing 6% of the area. This zone was located along Ntawogba Creek and on major roads. Total area of high risk zone was 864.1ha representing 56%, moderate risk and low risk zone was 452.2ha and 134.7ha with 29.3 5 and 8.7% respectively. For further study, drainage density and soil infiltration should be included in the flash flood risk analysis.