Abstract
Urban flood modeling is essential for understanding physical phenomena and enhancing flood forecasting. The relevance of these numerical tools must be assessed with flow measurements which are sparse for real floods. This article assesses the capability of state-of-the-art 2D (with or without k-ϵ turbulence model) and 3D (with k -ω SST turbulence model) numerical models in reproducing the characteristics of urban flood flows within a real-like street network using an experimental dataset. The results show that all models can predict the flow discharge distribution and flow depths inside the district. The 3D model is always slightly more accurate, especially in zones where the flow is strongly perturbed. The comparison of numerical and experimental velocity profiles across streets highlights the need of a turbulence model to represent recirculation areas of finite length after crossroads and obtain a more realistic velocity field and water elevation profile.