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Item: The avalanche events of december 2008 in ceresole reale (piedmont western italian alps)

• • Title: The avalanche events of december 2008 in ceresole reale (piedmont western italian alps)

    Proceedings: International Snow Science Workshop, Davos 2009, Proceedings

    Authors: Maggioni M., Caimi A., Godone D., Freppaz M., Bertea A., Cordola M., Prola M.C., Bertoglio, V. and Frigo B., Di.Va.P.R.A., Università di Torino, Italy, D.E.I.A.F.A., Università di Torino, Italy, ARPA Piemonte, Area Previsione e Monito

    Date: 2009

    Abstract: December 2008 was characterized by intense precipitations, in particular in the middle of the month (14th – 17th) throughout all the Italian Western Alps. Numerous avalanches occurred causing damages to villages and affecting the viability. In this work we describe the meteorological situation and the intense avalanche activity that influenced the area around Ceresole Reale, a small village at 1570 m asl in the high Orco Valley in Piedmont Region. On 17th December the snow height at the village was 250 cm, the maximum value registered in December, referring to an eighty years long snow data set. In the period between the 15th and the 16th of December many avalanches occurred. Some of them have been classified as extreme avalanches and flowed in areas where no avalanches were reported in the past, overcrossing the limits of the official avalanche map. In particular, 4 simultaneous avalanches released from Monte Cialme and destroyed 6 houses and 12 ha of forest. The deposit and damages analysis has shown that the avalanches presented both a dense and a powder part. We estimated that a volume of snow equal to 100.000 m3 released from 2450 m asl and flowed into the Ceresole lake at 1580 m asl. A rough estimation of the pressure of the avalanches has been done studying the damages caused to forest and buildings.

    Presenters: Unknown

    Keywords: avalanche case study, extreme event, mapping, forest damage

    Subjects: avalanche events ceresole reale piedmont western italian alps

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