Strojná et al. (2026) Comparison of Extreme Rainfall Phenomena in Central Europe: A Case Study of the 1997 and 2024 Flood Events Using a Novel Precipitation Event Intensity Index (PEII)

Identification

• Journal: Journal of Hydrometeorology
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-06-24
• Authors: Natália Strojná, Joanna Chmist-Sikorska, Kamila M. Harenda
• DOI: 10.1175/jhm-d-25-0142.1

Research Groups

• Institute of Meteorology and Water Management–National Research Institute (IMGW-NRI), Gdynia, Poland
• Aquanet SA, Poznań, Poland
• Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland

Short Summary

This study compares the 1997 and 2024 flood events in Central Europe using a novel precipitation event intensity index (PEII). The results highlight differences in storm structure and spatial footprint between the two events.

Objective

• Investigate the characteristics of extreme rainfall phenomena in Central Europe
• Compare the 1997 and 2024 flood events in terms of their intensity, scale, and spatial footprint

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Regional (Central Europe)
• Temporal Scale: Short-term (daily to weekly) and long-term (seasonal to annual)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: ERA5-Land reanalysis dataset
• Data sources: Hourly total precipitation data from ERA5-Land

Main Results

• The 1997 and 2024 flood events had similar magnitude, origins, and spatial coverage.
• The new index, PEII, was able to distinguish between more continuous versus more episodic high-intensity rainfall structures.
• PEII was shown to be a useful diagnostic tool for comparing the internal structure of high-intensity rainfall events across large regions.

Contributions

• This study provides a comparative case study of two major flood-producing rainfall episodes in Central Europe, focusing on differences in storm structure and spatial footprint.
• The proposed precipitation event intensity index (PEII) is a new tool for characterizing the intensity and scale of extreme rainfall events.

Funding

• Not specified

Citation

@article{Strojná2026Comparison,
  author = {Strojná, Natália and Chmist-Sikorska, Joanna and Harenda, Kamila M.},
  title = {Comparison of Extreme Rainfall Phenomena in Central Europe: A Case Study of the 1997 and 2024 Flood Events Using a Novel Precipitation Event Intensity Index (PEII)},
  journal = {Journal of Hydrometeorology},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1175/jhm-d-25-0142.1},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1175/jhm-d-25-0142.1}
}