The August 2012 presentation has just been confirmed for:

Title: Real-Time Quantitative Rainfall Forecasting.  Where are We and Where Are We Heading?
Date: August 28th 2012
Time: 5:30pm for 6pm start.
Venue: EA Auditorium, Chatswood

Abstract

Weather prediction and specifically forecasting rainfall in the near term has made significant strides in the last decade. This has largely been due to advances in science and computer power, with several agencies commanding supercomputers in the top 50 in the world. However, rainfall still remains one of the most difficult parameters to forecast even out to 12 hours. The intrinsic problems with forecasting rainfall over other such parameters such as temperature and winds, is its often very chaotic nature both temporally and geographically. Even with global supercomputers modelling at greater resolutions, few are capable of providing the pinpoint accuracy often required by rainfall sensitive industries and projects.

The aim of this talk is to provide an industry-wide overview on current science and forecasting techniques with regard to rainfall, with a special focus on the very latest techniques for trying to improve and correct forecast data provided by the global computer models. The example of the Chatswood Integrated Flood Control and Stormwater Reuse Scheme shall be used as a case study of how such techniques may be applied to vastly enhance rainfall forecasting accuracy. In addition, the talk will touch on how these forecast techniques can be used across the industry as a whole, as well as a quick look into expected future developments.

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