Transcript NWS AR Hydrologic Program

National Weather Service
Hydrologic Program
in Alaska
Larry Rundquist
Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center
National Weather Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
http://aprfc.arh.noaa.gov
Mission Statement
National Weather Service (NWS) is a federal agency within National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is part of
Department of Commerce (DOC)
National Weather Service Mission Statement
" The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, hydrologic, and climate
forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and
ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the
national economy. NWS data and products form a national information database
and infrastructure which can be used by other governmental agencies, the private
sector, the public, and the global community. "
In support of this NWS mission, the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center (APRFC)
produces timely and accurate water forecasts and information using the best
available scientific principles to integrate and model water, weather, and climate
information. Our highly-motivated, customer-focused staff is dedicated to
professionalism, innovation, and fulfilling expectations of our customers and
partners.
NWS AR Hydrologic Program
Weather Forecast Office
Hydrologic Service
Areas for Alaska
APRFC Responsibilities
APRFC hours:
6 am - 5 pm daily (incl
weekends) during May
through October
7 am - 4 pm weekdays
November through April
Extended hours as
needed during floods
Alaska-Pacific River Forecast
Center has hydrologic support
responsibility for all of Alaska
Non-operational support for
hydrologic program in NWS
Pacific Region
APRFC is one of 13 RFCs
APRFC Staff
• 1 Alaska Regional Hydrologist/Hydrologist in
Charge
• 1 Service Coordination Hydrologist
• 1 Development and Operations Hydrologist
• 2 Senior Hydrologists
• 1 Hydrologists
• 1 Senior HAS Forecaster
• 2 HAS Forecasters
• 1 Hydrologic Technician
HAS – Hydrometeorological Analysis and Support
Flooding Sources
Flooding due to Excessive Runoff
Snowmelt
Glacier melt
Rainfall
Flooding due to Ice Blockage
Freeze-up Ice Jams
Aufeis (Naled)
Breakup Ice Jams
Blocked culverts
Other Flood Hazards
Jokulhlaups (Glacier Dammed Lake Releases)
Dam break or Geologic Control
Coastal Flooding
Tsunami
Automated River Gauges
• Operated by USGS,
USFWS, BLM, NWS,
ADNR and UAF
• Components include
sensor, data collection
platform (DCP), and
telemetry (optional)
• Telemetry methods
include telephone,
satellite, and
meteorburst
Need more gages in Alaska
Manual River Gauges
• Most are read by
observers for the NWS
• Typically read once per
day in the morning
• Types include wire
weight, staff gauge,
and slope profile
APRFC Operations
Open-Water Season
Winter season is used for weather monitoring and development projects
HAS Forecaster Duties
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Weather and river self-briefing
Quality control of precipitation data
Prepare HYD Bulletin
Prepare a quantitative precipitation estimate (QPE) map
Review meteorological models
Prepare quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF)
products
Recently added temperature and freezing level forecasts
Prepare Hydrometeorological Discussion text product
Prepare Flood Outlook graphical products
Monitor ongoing weather
HAS Precipitation Products
Gridded QPE and QPF Products
Hydrologist Duties
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Check data ingest and processing
Weather and river self-briefing
Quality control of river stage data
Maintain hydrologic models
– Adjust model input & parameters to match observed stages for
each modeled segment using run-time mods
– Incorporate HAS QPF and forecast temperature values
• Prepare river forecast products
Snowpack Simulation
APRFC Main Page
http://aprfc.arh.noaa.gov/
Advanced
Hydrologic
Prediction
Services
Web Hydrograph
Ensemble of Hydrographs
Probability of Flooding
Conditional
Simulation
Historical
Simulation
Weekly Maximum Flows
Follow progress of breakup on
Alaska Weather on PBS or on web
The End
• Please contact us if you have further
questions about our operations