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

Abstract The improvement of Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting (QPF) in mountainous regions was a major supporting objective of the Mesoscale Alpine Programme (MAP) project P1 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 © 2007 Royal Meteorological Society