CROSS-STORM is a groundbreaking research initiative developed jointly by the Politecnico di Milano and the University of Genova. Its mission? To make our roads safer during thunderstorms by understanding and predicting how powerful crosswinds impact drivers and vehicles and to identify where the risk of accidents is highest.
This cross-disciplinary effort combines meteorology, vehicle aerodynamics, human behaviour, and advanced simulation in a novel, integrated approach. Here’s how it unfolds:
- Modelling Thunderstorm Winds
Building on the University of Genova’s experience in the European THUNDERR project, the team will simulate how winds behave during thunderstorms especially the sudden, turbulent gusts that can destabilise vehicles. - Measuring Vehicle Response
Using the wind tunnel at POLIMI, researchers will analyse how different road vehicles react to storm-driven crosswinds. This helps determine the aerodynamic forces at play in real-time conditions. - Recreating Driver Reactions
POLIMI’s DRISMI driving simulator will bring the human element into focus. In a safe, virtual environment, real drivers will be exposed to lifelike storm scenarios to understand how people – and vehicles – respond under stress.
Project Outcome
The outcome of CROSS-STORM will be the development of an innovative methodology to assess the risk of road accidents during thunderstorms. This method integrates key factors such as weather conditions, road infrastructure, terrain, vehicle type, and driver response into a unified framework.
By placing the human element at the core and accounting for the dynamic nature of extreme weather, the CROSS-STORM approach goes beyond traditional vehicle-based evaluations. It opens the door to new tools such as risk maps, decision-support systems for road operators, and real-time algorithms to enhance traffic safety and mobility.
The project CROSS-STORM has been funded by EU, NextGenerationEU, M4C2I1.1, Project PRIN 2022 PNRR “CROSS-STORM”, Prot. 202284ZER9 – CUP D53D23003170006. Partners involved: Politecnico di Milano, Università di Genova
Publications
- Xhelaj, A., Araya Reyes, C. E., Repetto, M. P., Pagnini, L., & Tomasini, G., CROSS-STORM project: Developing a numerical-experimental procedure for evaluating the risk of accident on road vehicles due to the strong crosswinds generated by a thunderstorm. Vanderwel, Christina and Xie, Zheng-Tong (eds.) 14th UK Conference on Wind Engineering, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom. 04 – 06 Sep 2024. 4 pp. doi:10.5258/WES/P0044.
- Araya Reyes, C. E., Cioffi, A., & Tomasini, G., Crosswind stability of road vehicles under thunderstorm downburst winds. In The 9th European-African Conference on Wind Engineering (EACWE2025). Trondheim, Norway, June 2025. Link.
- Xhelaj, A., Burlando, M., Pagnini, L., & Repetto, M. P., Simulating a downburst turbulent outflow velocity field on a moving vehicle. In The 9th European-African Conference on Wind Engineering (EACWE2025). Trondheim, Norway, June 2025. Link.
