Thunderstorm observation from the first cloud to hail damage

Heavy precipitation and hailstorms are among the most damaging natural events. In the future, we expect them, like droughts, to become more frequent and more intense. It is therefore essential to understand how they occur and develop, and what effects they have on people and nature. This understanding is crucial to warn the public at an early stage and to avoid hazards.

This is why IMK-TRO is playing a leading role in the "Swabian MOSES 2023" measurement campaign, in which several other institutes of the Helmholtz Association and also universities are participating. The region between Tübingen and Kirchheim unter Teck experiences the most frequent thunderstorms in Germany. However, these tend to originate in the southern Black Forest, which is why the KITcube, the IMK-TRO's mobile integrated atmospheric observation system, will be installed near Villingen-Schwenningen. Together with the other institutes, the entire area from Feldberg ("trigger area") to Kirchheim ("impact area") will be covered.

The measurement campaign "Swabian MOSES 2023" is part of MOSES, the Helmholtz Association's Earth Observation System, in which various research institutions of the Helmholtz Association cooperate. MOSES uses flexible and mobile observation setups, such as the KITcube, to study interactions between short-term events and long-term trends in different parts of the Earth. The system focuses on dynamic events such as heat waves, hydrological extremes, ocean eddies, and permafrost thaw.

Further information about the Swabian MOSES measurement campaign can be found directly on the website: https://www.atmohub.kit.edu/590.php (Website in German)