The OHRFC HAS Forecaster
The HAS Forecaster of the OHRFC stands for Hydrometeorological Analysis and
Support (HAS) Forecaster. The OHRFC has 3 HAS forecasters, 1 senior and 2
journeyman.
The duties of the HAS forecasters include preparing rainfall forecasts,
quality controlling rainfall data, writing a narrative of the state of the
hydrometeorological conditions within the basin, coordinating with the
hydrologic service areas (HSAs) within the basin, assisting in river
forecasting, and performing software maintenance and development.
The first priority of the HAS Forecaster is operations. Each morning a
quantatative precipitation forecast (QPF)
(view an old 24hr qpf forecast)
is prepared using input from
Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) within the basin, computer model data
from the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), analysis
by the HAS forecaster on duty, and coordination with WFOs/NCEP as needed.
This QPF forecast is used as input into each day's river model forecasts.
The on-duty HAS forecaster quality controls rainfall data, and
Stage III software provided by the WSR-88D radar and automated rain gages.
An example of quality control performed is the removing of rain gage reports that
report rainfall when other meteorological data does not support rainfall.
The Stage III data will be used in the river models in the coming months.
The HAS forecaster coordinates with WFOs/HSAs when necessary. Some examples
include when changes are needed in the QPF forecast, when Stage III
indicates significant amounts of precipitation, or when additional rainfall
forecasts, evening QPF forecasts, are needed.
Later in the day, a narrative is written and distributed. The NWS header
is CRWHMDCIN and the WMO header is SXUS70 KCIN. This narrative is called
the hydrometeorological discussion.
Finally, duties for the on-duty HAS forecaster include rainfall forecast
verification and running archive of the WSR-88D data for the overnight hours.
The HAS Forecaster also assists in river forecasting as needed, and qualified
Hydrologists assist as HAS Forecasting.
The last major role of the HAS Forecaster is to help maintain and develop the
computer network. The OHRFC uses a number of Hewlett Packard (HP)
workstations and PCs. With the modernization of the NWS comes the transition to
workstations. A significant amount of computer system administration and
work is required for this to happen. This includes making sure all necessary
data is being received, configuring new software for day to day operations
and much more.
You can also learn more about Stage3 Precipitation Processing below.
More about Stage III
|
