Flash Flood  Monitoring  Prediction  System at the National Weather Service in Caribou, Maine

 

By: Joseph Hewitt

Senior Forecaster

 

 

 

 The National Weather Service has developed a new monitoring system that will help forecasters with early detection of flash flooding. This new system is called the Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction system or otherwise known as FFMP. This new Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction system was used as a forecast and warning tool for the first time this year 2003 at the National Weather Service in Caribou.   

 

 FFMP allows a forecaster to inspect either a county or the forecaster can choose to look at a particular river/stream basin within a particular county. FFMP detects, analyzes, and monitors rainfall every 5 minutes from the WSR 88D Doppler radar system and generates short term warning guidance on flash flood potential automatically to the forecaster. This allows the forecaster to  assess the information and decide whether or not to issue a flash flood warning or a flash flood statement.

 

The benefits to this new flash flood monitoring system are: 1) the forecaster can zero in on a particular stream basin that is receiving heavy rainfall and investigate that stream basin, 2) the forecaster will have longer lead times on flash flood warnings , 3) the longer lead times in flash flood warnings will allow the public, public officials and law enforcement to act accordingly.

 

The bottom line is that the National Weather Service’s mission is to save lives and protect property. The Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction system or FFMP will help the National Weather Service to accomplish this mission.