Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Flood Awareness Week continues with a short discussion on the National Weather Service's
Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service.
In a national effort to improve hydrologic products and services, the National Weather
Service created the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service or AHPS for short. AHPS is a congressionally
funded service which allows the NWS to improve hydrologic products and services across the
country. Using data from a variety of comprehensive sources, the primary goal of AHPS is focused
on improving hydrologic forecasts and warnings, ultimately saving lives and providing economic
benefit to the nation.
Many users have a vested interest in AHPS and benefit from a variety of hydrologic forecast
and warning products. These include, but are not limited to, river commerce, hydropower,
emergency response services, environmental and recreational interests, agriculture and
of course the general public. As a result, constituents are more aware of current and
forecast conditions, and ultimately better prepared when flooding does occur.
In particular, AHPS will provide the public with better forecasts of river stage and flow.
Information such as how high the river will rise and reach its crest, how long flooding
will continue or what areas will be flooded is all available. Illustrated at right is
a sample river hydrograph available from AHPS showing the record crest of the Otter Creek
in Rutland during Tropical Storm Irene. Note the information available, such as past and
present river stage, the forecast stage, and relative flood categories. This type of information
is available for many river gages across the nation, including certain gages in the North
Country.
Other AHPS information is more helpful to emergency officials, first responders and
water managers. Answers to such questions such as: When and where to evacuate people
from potential flood areas; When to move goods and industrial property, and How to utilize
reservoir capacity to reduce flood impacts can be provided.
So as a user, where can you find local North Country AHPS information? Start first by going
to our website at www.weather.gov/btv. Then click on the Rivers and Lakes tab, and select
Area River Forecasts. This will take you to a Google Map interface showing off of our
monitored river gages in our area (green icons). From here you can click on a river gage of
interest. This will link to more comprehensive information, including hydrograph information
and forecasts of future flow and stage level where applicable. Click on the graph and yet
another page will open showing a larger hydrograph, and other data summary information about the
location such as flood categories and river stage impact information. A wealth of additional
information is available if needed, including a link to probabilistic stage exceedance information.
As you can see, the variety of hydrologic information available from AHPS can provide
ample benefit to a number of interests.
To review...the National Weather Service's Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service or
AHPS for short is a service which helps improve hydrologic products and services across the
country. By doing so, the country will benefit economically and lives will be saved. AHPS
hydrologic information and river forecasts for the North Country can be found on the
National Weather Service in Burlington's website at www.weather.gov/btv.
Thank you for viewing this presentation on the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service.
For more information on flood facts, flood awareness and preparation, visit us on the
web at www.weather.gov/btv, like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.