Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Identifying Storm Hotspots and the Most Unsettled Areas in Barcelona by Analysing Significant Rainfall Episodes in Barcelona During the 2013 – 2018 Period

Version 1 : Received: 20 May 2021 / Approved: 21 May 2021 / Online: 21 May 2021 (14:52:04 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Esbrí, L.; Rigo, T.; Llasat, M.C.; Aznar, B. Identifying Storm Hotspots and the Most Unsettled Areas in Barcelona by Analysing Significant Rainfall Episodes from 2013 to 2018. Water 2021, 13, 1730. Esbrí, L.; Rigo, T.; Llasat, M.C.; Aznar, B. Identifying Storm Hotspots and the Most Unsettled Areas in Barcelona by Analysing Significant Rainfall Episodes from 2013 to 2018. Water 2021, 13, 1730.

Abstract

Flash floods repeatedly threaten Barcelona, damaging the city infrastructure and endangering the safety of the population. The city’s urban planning and socioeconomic distribution, associated with the topography and other geographic factors, means that these flood events do not affect the entire city in the same way. This is a key point for surveillance and emergency tasks, which need some patterns and models to improve response capacity. This work aims to gain a better understanding of such events, to add valuable information on how to predict and manage these situations. For this purpose, both radar and ground observational data have been combined to identify the most important precipitation episodes in Barcelona between 2013 and 2018. To make the analysis easier, a new algorithm has been developed to determine the thunderstorm hotspots. Episodes with a higher impact have been analysed in depth. The final objective is to improve the actions taken by the organisation responsible for managing urban floods, which have seen Barcelona recognised as a model city for flood resilience by the United Nations.

Keywords

flash floods; urban floods; storms; hazard management; urban hydrology; convection; convective cells; thunderstorms; radar; flood prevention; Mediterranean

Subject

Environmental and Earth Sciences, Atmospheric Science and Meteorology

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