Updating flood annual maxima in Southern Italy

Recent studies have highlighted concerns about the impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle and extremes. Analysis of long hydrological series or modeled data in Europe has revealed conflicting trends. The lack of continuous observations and significant alterations in some watersheds pose challenges for quantifying the effects of climate change, particularly in Southern Italy. The objective of this study is to update flood time-series in Southern Italy from 1920 to 2021 using direct and indirect measurements. Missing data were reconstructed using specific flood rating curves or daily flow rates to estimate equivalent flood peaks. The resulting series were analyzed using the nonparametric Mann-Kendall test to provide a preliminary description on flood trends in Southern Italy over the past 50 years.