Extension of the Flood Forecasting Model FloRIJN

After the floods of 1993 and 1995 in the Rhine basin, the ICPR Action Plan on Flood Defence (ICPR, 1998) was drawn up, after which the environmental affairs ministers of the Rhine riparian states agreed on several meas-ures on the subject of improvement of flood forecasting and warning systems in the Rhine basin. One of the targets of this action plan is the extension of the forecasting period for reliable flood forecasts in the entire Rhine basin. For the Dutch gauging station Lobith on the German-Dutch boarder the forecasting period should be extended from two days to three days in the year 2000 and to four days in the year 2005. To achieve this goal a new forecasting system called FloRIJN was developed in the period between 1995 and 1998. This system proved to be capable of producing a reliable three-day forecast. To meet the demands for a four-day forecast, the system was extended in upstream direction and most of the model components were improved significantly. The new Flood Early Warning System (FEWS) for the Rhine will increase the available time for water manage-ment authorities and local decision makers to prepare and take measures such as the reinforcement of flood protection works, evacuation of people and life stock and deployment of retention areas. Therefore less people will be endangered and damages can be reduced.Irma-Spong