INCA Central Europe - Integrated nowcasting system for the Central European area
Weather and especially severe weather is responsible for many natural disasters causing damage and loss of life. Weather forecasts are an essential part of early warning systems and consecutive actions within civil protection schemes, road management and flood protection. In the last years nowcasting, which is the forecast for the next hours, has improved significantly. Disasters at small time and space scales like hail or flash floods etc. as well as sub-events within large scale catastrophes like flooding and storms can be detected and managed. Nowcasting plays an increasing role in risk prevention, but its realisation is a highly complex and integrated task INCA CE will implement a transnational information system as well as applications for different socio-economic sectors to reduce risks of major economic damage and loss of life. Not only civil protection but also stakeholders from economic sectors are in a growing need of accurate and reliable short-term forecasts.

The INCA-CE project specifically has the goal of setting up a web-based trans-national weather information system that uses state-of-the-art nowcasting methods developed by several countries. It will enable users in the public and private sector to take into account weather-related risks and hazards in a more timely fashion, more precisely, and in greater geographical detail. More precise information about heavy rainfall and associated rise of water levels (flooding) will help set up improved procedures in the management of mitigating measures for the protection of buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. Civil protection will benefit from a more comprehensive assessment of meteorological threats, and a more detailed and timely forecast, leading to more efficient warning protocols and dissemination strategies. Road safety will be enhanced by a more detailed road weather forecast made available both to the road management authorities as well as to the general public.