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Flooding Awareness Week – Day 4: National Weather Service Water Resources

| by Henry Luker

By National Weather Service Des Moines

The National Weather Service (NWS) has declared March 16 through March 22 as Flood Safety Awareness Week. The NWS in Des Moines will feature information about a different flood topic each day during the awareness week.

Today’s Topic: NWS Water Resources

The NWS homepage, http://www.weather.gov, provides up to date weather and water advisory, watch, and warning information for the U.S. and its territories. However, the NWS provides many additional resources to help emergency managers, public officials, and private citizens make water decisions.

  • Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS)
    • AHPS provides a suite of river and flood forecasts and water information to protect life and property and helps ensure the nation/s economic well-being.
  • Flood Inundation Mapping
    • The ability to look into the future to see how many city blocks and roads might be flooded is becoming clearer with flood inundation mapping. NOAA’s NWS and National Ocean Service are collaborating with the USGS, USACE, FEMA, and other partners to develop these inundation maps for flooding.
  • Weather Prediction Center (WPC) Precipitation Forecasts
    • WPC provides precipitation forecasts for the entire U.S, including Puerto Rico. WPC also issues excessive rainfall forecasts, short-range discussions on heavy rainfall events as well as snowfall, and freezing rain probabilities.
  • NWS River Forecast Centers (RFCs)
    • The NWS has a network of thirteen RFCs across the United States. These RFCs collect…process and provide water resource and river forecasts and information for major river basins across the country.
  • Flood Safety Awareness Website
    • On this page you will find information on what to do before, during, and after a flood.

Staying aware of an evolving weather situation can help you prepare when flooding or other weather hazards impact your area. Be a Force of Nature. http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/

Join us tomorrow on the final day of flood safety awareness week to find out about some great flood resources offered by several NWS partners.