The 11th European Conference on Radar in Meteorology and Hydrology known by the abbreviation ERAD was scheduled to take place in Switzerland in September 2020. The deadline of the abstract submission fell in the midst of the rapid spreading of Covid-19, a moment of high uncertainty and confusion around the globe. Many countries were under a lockdown. Nobody knew how the pandemic would evolve and what would happen with ERAD 2020. We were expecting to receive 50, maybe 100 submissions from the most dauntless ERAD warriors and faithful supporters. Never would we have expected to go beyond 200. We were absolutely overwhelmed when the number of submissions reached 292. Alongside the many scientists who submitted an abstract and were ready to defy the virus, we also got many requests from the radar industry to book a booth in the exhibition hall. This was a strong signal from the community that kept us going with the planning despite the obvious risks posed by the spreading of the corona virus. You wanted to attend ERAD in Switzerland and we were committed to do our best to organize a memorable event.

​

We went through all the abstracts with the support of the program committee and created oral sessions with a selection of many promising papers. Fortunately, the abstract review process was only marginally affected by the virus. However, everything else was becoming increasingly complicated because of Covid-19 and we had to continuously rearrange our plans ... On June 19 we decided to postpone the 11th edition of ERAD to 2022. It was time to take a decision, and we had no other choice given the situation of the pandemic around the world.

​

The conference has been postponed to 2022 ... but the attempt to organize ERAD in 2020 left a heritage. The collection of abstracts, which you hold in your hands, is an impressive testimony to the scientific depth, the diversity and the link to practical applications of the ongoing activities in the field of radar meteorology and hydrology. ERAD is known for its tradition to build a bridge between academia, industry and the national meteorological and hydrological services. It brings together the universities' scientific excellence, the manufacturers' knowledge about building radars and the operational perspective from the national services and users. This makes it a perfect breeding ground for exchange and innovation as demonstrated in the previous editions of ERAD.

We would like to thank you all for the positive signal you sent us in a moment of highest uncertainty, like a well-maintained radar, which never stops sending signals even in the midst of a most unpredictable storm!

See you in Switzerland in 2022!

​

Urs Germann and Alexis Berne