IMPREX

The IMPREX project, active from 2015-2018, involves more than 20 partners and is part of the Horizon 2020 programming. IMPREX aims to improve the modelling tools used in weather forecasting systems to allow greater predictability of extreme hydro-meteorological events for improving risk management strategies and increase communities resilience to extreme events.

CIMA Research Foundation is the Italian partner of the project and it will be in charged of the flood risk in the Liguria territory, developing a case study on the basin of the Bisagno torrent (Genoa). The first goal is to assess the impact of high-resolution spatial and temporal meteorological models on forecast systems and to support decisions for civil protection purposes. The importance is to understand whether the use of extremely advanced and detailed meteorological models can actually improve the forecasting capacity and, consequently, increase extreme event risk management. Our researchers will also assess how much soil moisture can affect the forecast uncertainty.

CIMA Research Foundation aims to implement tools already in use, such as DRIHM and RASOR, so that both the impacts of a flood event can be assessed and a probabilistic forecast of damage and risk can be made.

The second goal will be to evaluate, on a European scale, the seasonal forecasts on a six-month timeframe given by the European Centre Medium Weather Forecasts, with particular reference to the potential hydrological impact on soil. The point is to be able to figure out whether forecasts are reliable from a hydrological point of view and if can seasonally predict the trends of water outflows on large watercourses.