Short duration rainfall extremes, often tied to intense storms and flash flooding, have a significant impact on urban infrastructure and the environment. We are doing research to improve our knowledge of past trends in these extremes and how they will change in the future due to climate change. This work will contribute to updating infrastructure guidelines and will improve resilience in urban areas.
Changing short-duration extreme rainfall in Australian cities
In many Australian cities, short duration (hourly and shorter) extreme rainfall events have become more frequent and intense, posing an increasing risk to communities. We aim to improve understanding of these changing extremes and how future climate change will further exacerbate the risk of flash floods. Through a detailed analysis of meteorological station data, weather radar observations, and high-resolution regional climate model simulations, this research will inform future infrastructure planning and design. It will also directly contribute to updating the Australian Rainfall and Runoff Guidelines, ensuring that Australia’s drainage infrastructure can effectively cope with the intensifying rainfall extremes.
Enhancing resilience through better data and updated infrastructure guidelines
This project will address key knowledge gaps related to short duration rainfall extremes in Australian cities, focusing on both historical trends and future projections under various climate change scenarios. By analysing these trends, the project will offer insights into how extreme rainfall events will evolve, helping to assess the increasing risks to urban environments. It will also evaluate regional climate models, including the Weather Research and Forecasting model, to assess their accuracy in simulating short duration rainfall extremes. This will identify strengths and limitations, improving the ability to predict future events.
Ultimately, the project will contribute to better adaptation strategies, helping Australian cities build resilience to climate change and extreme rainfall events. This project is co-leading, with ACS, the CORDEX Flagship Pilot Study (FPS) Sub-Hourly Extreme Precipitation (SHEP) and is a collaboration with multiple research groups nationally and internationally.
Want to know more?
Please contact the project lead, Jason Evans, The University of New South Wales.
Or email us at info@nesp2climate.com.au.