High impact weather events clearly represent atmospheric hazards because of the potential threat they can cause to people, properties and the environment. Mitigating potential risks induced by these events is a balance constrained by two opposite drivers: scientific and technological development on the one hand vs. the increased sensitivity of society to such events on the other hand. Indeed, while the former aspect fosters innovative and improved mitigation and adaptation strategies, the latter through the complex entanglement of technology-based society with communication networks increases potential losses related to atmospheric hazards. In addition, the issue of relating local meteorological processes to larger scales is crucial from the forecasting point of view. Thus, international partnership is one of the most effective strategies for both sustaining scientific growth and reducing societal sensitivity to atmospheric hazards. To achieve this goal, partnership should encompass a wide range of expertise from researchers to the various stake holders (rescue services, communicators, energy and transport practitioners, etc) coming from different countries.

Following the EMS/ECAM theme, the 2013 session on Atmospheric Hazards will address the science behind the various phenomena and topics (listed below) connected with these atmospheric phenomena and impacts, but also aspects connected with the collaboration and partnership between research, development and stakeholders. Potential topics (not exhaustive) for this session are:
• Flash-floods and heavy rain events;
• Storm-surges and atmospheric driven marine hazards;
• Hail;
• Freezing rain, icing and intense snow falls;
• Cold/heat episodes as well as dry spells;
• Fog;
• Tornadoes, waterspouts, derechos and downbursts;
• Severe wind storms;
• Intense Mediterranean cyclones;
• Tropical like cyclones;
• Lightning;
• Local effects of polar lows;
• Severe katabatic or foehn winds;
• Gap and orographic flows;
• Breaking of gravity waves;

Contributions dealing with remote sensing aspects will be extremely welcome because of their intrinsic capability to cover broader areas and can be better tailored to stake-holders interests. In addition, we particularly welcome papers dealing with modelling, both numerical and conceptual.

Contributions dealing with studies of specific episodes (case studies) are welcome provided they are relevant and archetypical for the area, which was affected by those events. In general, all the contributors are encouraged to find in their work a general aspect that might be of interest even outside of the field where the research was carried out.

The above-listed topics are naturally not exclusive and Session’s Conveners wait to be surprised by new ideas and approaches springing out from Authors inventiveness related to these high impact weather events, the reduction of their risks as well as the multi-faceted connections typical of this topic.