Skyfallet i sydvästra Skåne 2014-08-31 Fokuserat mot konsekvenser och relation till regnstatistik i Malmö / The cloudburst in Southwestern Scania 2014-08-31 With focus on consequences and in relation to rainfall statistics in Malmö
During the late summer of 2014 there was a series of intense rainfall events, which caused severe flooding in several municipalities in Sweden. The by far worst event was the cloudburst in Scania, 31/8, not only in terms of rain intensities and volumes, but also the fact that the more intense parts of the rainfall fell across central Malmö with adverse consequences as a result. The full rain event is well captured by VA SYD’s rain gauge system in Malmö and Burlöv, and in neighboring municipalities. The cloudburst is one of the most intense rainfalls ever experienced in Sweden. The stormwater and sewer systems are not designed to divert this type of extreme rainfall. This resulted in basement flooding’s and flooding of low-lying areas as the majority of the rain volume flowed on the surface. In total, the insurance companies, in April 2015, submitted recourse to VA SYD of approximately SEK 100 million for 1400 flood damages. The total reported claims cost amounts according to Swedish Insurance to over 300 million. Harm reduction in such a situation is no longer about the dimensioning of the stormwater system, but rather about city planning where elevations and the creation of free waterways play an important part. City of Malmö is therefore working on a cloudburst plan: a long-term action plan lining out how the city can be better prepared for future extreme rainfall.