Interdisciplinary team calls for modernized standards in national study on probable maximum precipitation

An interdisciplinary team, including CSU researchers, recommends updating the science that informs how dams and nuclear power plants are built in preparation for extreme rainfall. The design and engineering of critical infrastructure in the U.S. uses the concept of Probable Maximum Precipitation — or PMP. This represents the most unlikely but possible precipitation.  

“Coming up with estimates of PMP is a major challenge: What is the best way to determine what the plausible worst-case rainstorm may be and how it might change in a warming climate?” said Russ Schumacher, professor in CSU’s Atmospheric Science Department and State Climatologist. “It is a question that requires the expertise of meteorologists, statisticians, climate scientists, engineers, and more.”  

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