Recent Updates to NOAA/NWS Rainfall Frequency Atlases

Bonnin, Geoffrey M.

doi:10.1061/40685(2003)369

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…This paper discusses the most recent updates and current projects. It is a follow on to a series of updates at Environmental and Water Resources Institute conferences; Bonnin (2002Bonnin ( , 2003, Bonnin et al (2004), Lin et al (2006). Current information from the Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center can be found at www.nws.noaa.gov/ohd/hdsc.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Updates to NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlases

Bonnin

Martin²,

Lin³

et al. 2007

World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2007

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The rainfall frequency atlases and technical papers published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) serve as de-facto national standards for rainfall intensity at specified frequencies and durations in the United States. This paper reports on progress in updating these estimates since the EWRI World Environmental and Water Resources Congress of 2006. It provides an overview of the new estimates and the methods used in their preparation as well as selected statistics. Since the 2006 Congress, NOAA has published revisions for NOAA Atlas 14 Volumes 1 through 3 covering the semiarid southwest U.S. and the Ohio River basin and surrounding states, and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Updates to NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlases

Bonnin

Martin²,

Lin³

et al. 2007

World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2007

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“…The National Weather Service is presently generating updated precipitation frequency values for the arid Southwest, the Ohio River basin, and U.S. island states and territories (Bonnin et al, 2002). They will provide estimates for durations from 5 minutes to 60 days and with return periods of 2 to 1000 years.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reassessment of Storm and Flood Probabilities in South-Central Texas

Earl

Dixon

2005

Physical Geography

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The June-July 2002 flood in south-central Texas was unique and catastrophic because of the volume of precipitation and runoff that occurred over periods between 2 and 10 days. For individual stations, the greatest 1-, 2-, 4-, and 7-day precipitation totals were 274, 409, 621, and 820 mm, respectively. An area of 10,800 km 2 had greater than 510 mm during this event. Flood discharges, while impressive, did not set peak records. The flood volume generated was two or more times that for which many flood-control facilities were designed to detain. The resultant spills damaged 48,000 homes and closed more than 130 roads. When the precipitation records of this event are compared to published depth-duration-frequency values, it shows that the prescribed values increasingly underestimated the storm potential for periods beyond 1 day so that the 4-, 5-, 7-, and 10day totals were more than twice the published values for the "100-year" event. This event demonstrates the need to consider precipitation amounts for periods greater than 24 hrs in the design of flood-control facilities and to increase the controlled release rate to prevent uncontrolled spills. In spite of the exceptional precipitation and flood history of the region, special interests have restricted efforts to increase legally defined storms, floods and floodplains. [Key words: Texas floods, precipitation frequency, flood management.]

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“…NOAA Atlas 2 is primarily based on only 22 years of precipitation data (from 1948 to 1970); thus, its estimates of 100-or 500-year precipitation contain substantial uncertainty. A new precipitation frequency atlas (NOAA Atlas 14), based on improved statistical methods and enlarged data sets, has been developed for parts of the US but does not include the Rocky Mountain region (Bonnin et al, 2003).…”

Section: Floodplain Maps and Precipitation Frequencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between scientific uncertainty and flood management decisions: Two case studies in Colorado

Downton

Morss

Wilhelmi

et al. 2005

Environmental Hazards

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Flood management policies in the United States rely on scientific information about the frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation and runoff. Yet, the available information is inherently uncertain because of the complexity of meteorological and hydrological processes. In mountainous areas, flood risk can vary greatly even within short distances depending on local climate, topography, soil characteristics, and land use. This paper describes two Colorado cases in which policy makers were presented with conflicting scientific estimates: revision of the Fort Collins floodplain map and modification of the Cherry Creek Dam. The case studies demonstrate that uncertainty can have substantial impacts on regulatory processes, public safety, and costs. The analysis considers the differing perspectives of various participants in the flood management processes, illustrating the interplay between uncertainties attributable to scientific issues and values issues. It suggests that attempts to provide a single ''best'' estimate do not necessarily meet the decision needs of all stakeholders. Conclusions indicate a need to improve communication about uncertainty when scientific estimates are provided to decision makers. Furthermore, in highly controversial decisions, it may be necessary to reframe the discussion to consider the values issues raised by scientific uncertainty. r

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Recent Updates to NOAA/NWS Rainfall Frequency Atlases

Cited by 8 publications

References 2 publications

Updates to NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlases

Updates to NOAA Precipitation Frequency Atlases

Reassessment of Storm and Flood Probabilities in South-Central Texas

Interactions between scientific uncertainty and flood management decisions: Two case studies in Colorado

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