MEFFE, satellite and combined satellite-radar techniques in meteorological forecasting for flood events; research activities and results.

The risk management process implies a sequence of: 1) a long term meteorological forecasting (up to 7-10 days, done by Global Circulation Models); 2) a short term forecasting (up to 72 hours, done by Limited Area Models, LAM); 3) a very short term forecasting by observational tools (satellites and radar). A skilled rainfall rate forecast to minimize loss of life and economic damage is therefore important. The MEFFE project was concerted to produce improvements in rainfall intensity estimates for mitigating the risk of flood events using nowcasting techniques (meteorological satellite sensors, combined satellite-radar data and numerical models). The main goal was achieved by: 1) better knowledge of meteorological systems generating different flood events; 2) coupling satellite data, radar data and numerical Limited Area Models; 3) improving MW and VIS-IR algorithms for precipitation retrieval; 4) improving weather numerical models (LAM and Cloud Mesoscale Models) that combine surface and upper air measurements, and radar-satellite data; 5) defining the characteristics of Nowcasting procedures for rainfall rate intensity. The following points were considered: i) climatology of floods in Europe; ii) Rainfall estimates from VIS and IR satellites; iii) Microwave Radiometry; iv) Precipitating Cloud Models and Retrieval Algorithms; v) Short range weather forecasting by Limited Area Model; vi) The individual radar and networks of radars in nowcasting.