PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STATE COLLEGE PA
1030 AM EDT MON OCT 17 2011

TO:        SUBSCRIBERS - FAMILY OF SERVICES AND NOAA WEATHER
           WIRE SERVICE AND OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
           PARTNERS, USERS AND EMPLOYEES

FROM:      CHARLES ROSS
           SENIOR SERVICE HYDROLOGIST
           NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE,
           WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE, STATE COLLEGE, PA

SUBJECT:   NEW FLOOD INUNDATION MAPS AVAILABLE FOR THE JERSEY SHORE
           AREA ON THE WEST BRANCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER
           EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26.

EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
(NWS) WILL ADD A NEW FLOOD INUNDATION MAP LIBRARY TO THE ADVANCED
HYDROLOGIC PREDICTION SERVICE (AHPS) WEB PORTAL FOR THE JERSEY SHORE
AREA ON THE WEST BRANCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER. THIS LOCATION WILL
BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS) RIVER
GAGE/NWS FORECAST POINT AT JERSEY SHORE. THE MAPPING WILL EXTEND
BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE GAGE.

INUNDATION MAPS PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE SPATIAL EXTENT AND DEPTH
OF FLOOD WATERS IN THE VICINITY OF NWS RIVER FORECAST POINTS. USERS
WILL BE ABLE TO DISPLAY FLOOD INUNDATION MAPS FOR VARIOUS LEVELS
RANGING FROM MINOR FLOODING THROUGH AND/OR ABOVE THE LARGEST
OBSERVED FLOOD.

FLOOD INUNDATION MAPS, COMBINED WITH RIVER OBSERVATIONS AND NWS
FORECASTS, ENHANCE THE COMMUNICATION OF FLOOD RISK, PROVIDE USERS
WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO BETTER MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF
FLOODING, AND BUILD MORE RESILIENT COMMUNITIES.

THESE FLOOD INUNDATION MAPS AND ASSOCIATED GEOSPATIAL DATA
(SHAPEFILES) CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE AHPS PORTAL (USE LOWERCASE
LETTERS):
http://water.weather.gov/ahps

A COMPLETE LIST OF FLOOD INUNDATION MAP LOCATIONS IS ONLINE AT (USE
LOWER CASE LETTERS):
http://water.weather.gov/ahps/inundation.php

A USERS GUIDE FOR THE FLOOD INUNDATION MAP WEB INTERFACE IS
AVAILABLE AT (USE LOWER CASE LETTERS):
http://www.weather.gov/ahps/inundation/unundation_mapping_user_guide.pdf

THESE INUNDATION MAPS WERE DEVELOPED BY THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL
SURVEY, PENNSYLVANIA WATER SCIENCE CENTER, AND MADE AVAILABLE ONLINE
THROUGH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN
COMMISSION AND LYCOMING COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, PLEASE CONTACT:

CHARLES ROSS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
SENIOR SERVICE HYDROLOGIST
PHONE: 814-231-2434
EMAIL: 

$$