7.10
Status of the Automated Hydrometeorological Observation Network in Nicaragua
Richard I. Crouthamel, NOAA/NWS, Silver Spring, MD; and J. A. McNitt and R. R. Reynolds
During October 1998 Hurricane Mitch stalled over Central America, generating heavy, prolonged rainfall over a period of several days. The flooding and landslides caused devastating loss of life and property. Although the Central American nations attempted to deal with the disaster the scope of the devastation surpassed the capacity of these countries to respond. The international community responded with near-term assistance and a commitment to help the countries rebuild their infrastructures.
In working with the governments of the Central American nations most affected by the disaster, the United States has identified key focus areas for the Hurricane Mitch Reconstruction Effort. The disaster highlighted the problems that the meteorology and hydrology services in these countries were already attempting to deal with, including the need for additional training, new equipment, and an effective river forecasting system. During Hurricane Mitch a large number of rain gages and stream gages were damaged or destroyed. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) are installing automated observing systems in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The United States National Weather Service is helping these nations to rebuild and modernize their hydrometeorological observation networks, install local early warning networks, and to mitigate future losses through the implementation of new forecasting tools and automated observing systems.
This paper describes the National Weather Service efforts, in cooperation with the Instituto Nicaraguense de Estudios Territoriales (INETER) to install automated observing stations and local early warning systems in Nicaragua. The period of performance for the project is April 2000 through December 2001. The NWS conducted an initial implementation of the hydrometeorlogical network during calendar year 2000. During the second year of the project the NWS will install additional automated meteorological and precipitation stations. The NWS will complete the local early warning system started in the first phase and will install an additional local early warning system during calendar year 2001.
The automated observing stations include:
· Meteorological Stations
· Precipitation Stations
· ALERT Precipitations Stations (with option of a stream gage)
· ALERT Base Stations
Training is integrated throughout the implementation process. The NWS, including the NWS contractor has worked closely with INETER to assure that staff members will be qualified to operate the observation equipment. By the end of the project the INETER staff will have gained valuable experience by participating in the equipment installations, equipment acceptance testing, and training. The INETER staff members working in the Nicaraguan River Forecast Center will understand the procedures for data quality control. With the implementation of these stations the NWS is providing the foundation upon which INETER can build an integrated observation network. This network will help Nicaragua to mitigate the losses associated with severe weather events such as Hurricane Mitch.
Session 7, Role of Observing Systems
Thursday, 18 January 2001, 1:30 PM-5:15 PM
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