Quantitative precipitation forecasting in the Alps:: The advances achieved by the Mesoscale Alpine Programme

The improvement of Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting (QPF) in mountainous regions was a major supporting objective of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP) project PI devoted to the study of orographic precipitation. This paper reviews the main MAP-related achievements regarding QPF improvement and highlights the MAP impact on developing QPF research and planning future operational strategies. Recent results based on MAP case-studies, on data analysis and assimilation, on quantification of model uncertainties, and on model intercomparison and verification substantiate the progress made in recent years in improving model performance in relation to short-range, high-resolution forecasting in complex topography regions, well represented by the European Alps. Copyright (c) 2007 Royal Meteorological Society.