Simulation of flash flood peaks in a small and steep catchment using rain-on-grid technique

Abstract

The frequency of extreme events is increasing as the consequences of climate change. In steep terrains, flash floods with high-flow velocities induce erosion and sedimentation with potentially disastrous changes of flood path. Hence, the analysis of flash floods in steep terrains in terms of inundation area and flow-velocity to identify critical points becomes more important. The output of a flood simulation with a traditional hydrologic model provides the flood hydrograph which must be combined with a hydraulic model for downstream consequences. In small and steep catchments, the inflow contribution from every section of the water course can be important to determine where critical conditions may arise. In this study, rain-on-grid technique in the hydraulic model Telemac-2D is used to simulate flash-flood peaks with spatially distributed precipitation as input in a small and steep catchment in western Norway. Seven events were simulated and sensitivity tests on parameters were conducted. A 200-year design flood was simulated to show the potential consequences in the catchment. The results show that calibrated models can satisfactorily reproduce peak flows and produce relevant information about water velocities and inundation which decision makers can use for mitigation measures. The paper explores the benefits and limitations through a description of model construction, calibration, and test of sensitivities.