Scenario

Meteorological scenario

The exercise area is located primarily along the main course of the Po River, in the regions of Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto, and in some cases also involves the secondary hydraulic network.

The exercise scenario was developed in collaboration with the AIPO, based on a re-evaluation of the October 2000 flood event that affected the entire river course and was characterized by widespread exceedances of the third alert threshold across all river monitoring sections. AIPO then adapted this historical event to the current reference sections of the Po River and used it as the basis for hydrological modeling within the FEWS Po (Flood Early Warning System for the Po River) flood forecasting system.

In order to concentrate all operational activities within the three days of the exercise (June 25, 26, and 27, 2026), the timeframe of the event was compressed by a factor of four. As a result, timelines, flow increases, and volumes do not correspond to the actual event of 2000, although the maximum hydrometric levels reached remain unchanged.

Hydrogeological scenario

The simulated event unfolds at a significantly faster pace than the historical event of 2000. Specifically:

• The Forecasting Centre issues an initial criticality forecast bulletin at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23, warning of high-risk conditions for the next 48 hours in the sections between Crescentino and Piacenza. Having taken note of these risks and considering the worsening weather conditions, the Civil Protection Department convenes its Crisis Unit.
• On Wednesday, June 24, forecasts confirmed that thresholds would be exceeded over the next 24 hours for the same river sections and, over the following 36–48 hours, for the remaining sections. The Crisis Unit, together with the regional Civil Protection Departments of Piemonte, Lombardia, Emilia-Romagna, and Veneto, as well as the AIPO, agreed at the technical level to activate the Command and Control Unit (UCC).
• Starting on Thursday, June 25, coinciding with the start of the exercise, the first threshold exceedances were observed in the Piemonte river sections, leading to the issuance of the first criticality monitoring bulletin for the main channel of the Po River, in coordination with the Decentralized Functional Centres of the regions.
• The training exercises will therefore take place on June 25, 26, and 27, and will include monitoring hydrometric levels, managing instances where thresholds are exceeded, and implementing the established operational procedures.
• Critical conditions are expected to be fully resolved by June 28, when the final monitoring bulletin is issued with an overall “green” status.