Session 2 Hydrometeorological Extremes, Part II

Tuesday, 12 January 2016: 8:30 AM-9:45 AM
Room 242 ( New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center)
Host: 30th Conference on Hydrology
Chair:
John N. McHenry, Baron Advanced Meteorological Systems, LLC, Chief Scientist, Raleigh, NC

High-impact hydrometeorological events produce the most destructive and costly outcomes of any weather-driven phenomena world-wide. Furthermore, despite significant progress over the last several decades, forecasting and warning for these events still lacks the precision that could minimize loss of property and life, especially in developing nations. Excessive precipitation or runoff associated with tropical cyclones/convection, land-based convection, atmospheric rivers, ENSO, and even slow-moving non-convective systems results in both flash-flooding and large-river system floods whose characteristics often depend on local soils, vegetation/agriculture, and topography. Excessive snow-melt, including rain-on-snow, as well as ice-breakup, can also result in destructive flood events. Conversely, severe droughts create deleterious impacts on crop/food production and the water supply. In this session, papers are invited that contribute to our ability to improve real-time/operational forecasts and warnings for these kinds of extremes, including observational as well as modeling approaches that may vary depending upon differing societal contexts. In addition, papers that address promising and innovative methods of assessing and modeling the statistics of hydrometeorological extremes as applied to real-time/operational forecasting/warning systems are encouraged. Papers that document forecast system performance and/or needed improvements in case studies of extreme events are also solicited. Please contact the session organizer, John McHenry (john.mchenry@baronweather.com) for additional information.

Papers:
8:30 AM
2.1
Improvement of the Optimal Blended NLDAS Drought Index (OBNDI) by Incorporating USGS Runoff Percentile and NCEI Operational Drought Indices
Youlong Xia, IMSG at EMC/NCEP, College Park, MD; and M. B. Ek, K. Mitchell, M. J. Brewer, C. D. Peters-Lidard, and D. M. Mocko
9:00 AM
2.3
The Climatology of Flooding in the US
Shane Hubbard, CIMSS/Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
9:30 AM
2.5
Atmospheric Contributors to Heavy Rainfall Events in the Arkansas-Red River Basin
Taylor McCorkle, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; and S. S. Williams, J. B. Basara, and T. A. Pfeiffer
- Indicates paper has been withdrawn from meeting
- Indicates an Award Winner