Organization
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The North Central River Forecast Center
(NCRFC) is part of the National Weather Service's Central Region . The National Weather
Service (NWS) is the
operational weather services component of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an agency of the United States Department of
Commerce (DOC).
Objectives
The objectives of the hydrologic service
program of the National Weather Service are:
- to mitigate loss of life and property
damages caused by floods by providing the nation with
timely issuance of river and flood forecasts
- to conduct the necessary research to
implement and improve forecasts and warnings
- to provide hydrometeorlogical data for
broad application to water resource planning, flood plain
management and operational programs.
There are two levels to the hydrologic
services offered by the NWS. The River Forecast Center (RFC) is
staffed by professional hydrologists and hydrometeorlogists who
issue river, reservoir and flood forecasts using computer models
for predictions. The RFC staff provides forecast guidance to
personnel at the NWS For our Offices (WFOs), who in turn
issue forecasts, outlooks and related hydrologic information to
the media, public and water resource managers.
Mission
NCRFC Mission
Statement : Click for multimedia overview. File size is 5 megabytes.
Note: Dean Braatz was the Hydrologist in Charge at the time
this presentation was created.
Daniel Luna is currently the
Hydrologist in Charge at the North Central River Forecast
Center.
At the NCRFC, the staff strives to
integrate hydrologic modeling with current technology to produce
the highest quality forecast products and services for public
flood warnings. The highly-motivated, customer-focused staff is
dedicated to professionalism, innovation, and fulfilling
expectations of other government agencies, private cooperative
organizations and the general public.
Functions
The NCRFC provides hydrologic forecasts and
services to NWS WFOs, federal and state agencies, and private
water resource organizations. These services are provided for
sites within the Upper Mississippi River, St. Lawrence River and
Hudson Bay drainage areas which encompass a nine state area.
River models (computer programs) are used
to simulate the hydrologic conditions and water levels of
selected streams (rivers, creeks, etc.), lakes and reservoirs
within the NCRFC region. These hydrologic models compute
hydrometeorological parameters for approximately 850 river
basins, which include about 450 official forecast points. These
models use precipitation and temperature data from over 4,000
observation sites and also include Quantitative Precipitation
Forecasts (QPFs), which are
predictions of precipitation expected to fall over a specific
area within a given time interval. Forecasts of future
temperature conditions are also input into the models to
determine the type of forecast precipitation and calculate
snowmelt runoff from winter snowpacks.
Hydrologic forecasts are determined using
the river model data and include forecasts for flood crests,
daily stages at selected locations, and long range river stage
predictions for navigational interests. Spring Snowmelt Outlooks
are prepared during late winter and early spring to identify the
potential for spring flooding assuming normal snowmelt
conditions.
Flash
Flood Guidance is prepared for the
NWS WFOs for use in providing short-term flash flood warnings in
response to heavy rainfall. Daily Headwater Guidance values are
also sent to the WFOs for use in short-fused flood warnings at
selected headwater sites. Specialized services include low flow
forecasts during dry periods, ice advisories on navigable rivers,
and reservoir inflow forecasts for operational decisions in
reservoir pool regulation and reservoir releases.
Forecast Area
The NCRFC is responsible for three major
drainage areas which collectively cover all of Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Michigan, portions of North Dakota, South Dakota,
Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, and sections of southwestern Manitoba
and southeastern Saskatchewan in south-central Canada. A
description of each of these drainages follows:
Upper Mississippi River Drainage
- The NCRFC forecast area covers all
major rivers and streams that drain the Upper
Mississippi River Basin
from central Minnesota and Wisconsin southward through
central and eastern Iowa, Illinois and eastern Missouri.
The NCRFC forecast responsiblity for the Mississippi
River basin ends at Chester, Illinois.
St. Lawrence River Drainage
- The NCRFC forecast region also
includes major rivers and streams which flow into Lake
Superior, Lake Michigan and eastern Lake Huron and
eventually into the St. Lawrence River located between
the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The St.
Lawrence River drainage area
includes northeastern Minnesota, extreme northern and
eastern Wisconsin, the metropolitan area of Chicago,
Illinois, and the entire state of Michigan.
Hudson Bay Drainage
- Some of the rivers located within the
NCRFC area generally flow northward and eventually drain
into the Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada. The basins
which comprise the Hudson
Bay drainage area in the
NCRFC region include the Red River of the North, Devils
Lake, the Souris River and several streams within the
Rainy River basin in northern Minnesota.
River Systems
Within the three major drainages, the NCRFC
forecast area includes thirty-two specific river systems and
drainage areas. A list of each of these systems follows.
- Upper Mississippi River Drainage
Minnesota River
Mississippi River above Red Wing, Minnesota
Chippewa River
Wisconsin River
Iowa Tributaries including the Skunk, Maquoketa and Wapsipinicon Rivers
Mississippi River from Red Wing, Minnesota to Dubuque, Iowa
Rock River
Cedar and Iowa Rivers
Des Moines River
Mississippi River from Dubuque, IA to Lock/Dam 19
Calumet River Basin
Kankakee, Des Plaines and Fox River Drainages
Sangamon, Spoon and La Moine River Drainages
Illinois River
Meramec River
Big Muddy and Kaskaskia Rivers
Northeastern Missouri Tributaries to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River from Lock/Dam 19 to Chester, IL
- St. Lawrence River Drainage
Western Lake Superior Drainage
Eastern Wisconsin Drainage
Menominee River Drainage
Upper Michigan Drainage
Northern Lower Michigan Drainage
Saginaw, Muskegon and White Rivers
Grand River
Kalamazoo and St, Joseph Rivers
Southeastern Michigan Streams
- Hudson Bay Drainage
Red River of the North Mainstem
Minnesota Tributaries to the Red River of the North
North Dakota Tributaries to the Red River of the North
Devils Lake
Souris River
Lake of the Woods Basins / Rainy River Drainage
Office Information
The NCRFC office resides in Chanhassen, Minnesota and is co-located with Twin Cities, Minnesota WFO (WFO MPX) and the
National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center (NOHRSC). In March, 1995 the office moved to Chanhassen from
its original location in the old Airport Terminal building at the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minneapolis,
Minnesota.
Images around the North Central River Forecast Center
Sundogs on the Winter's Solstice
Water Toss on Christmas Day 2000: Temperature -18 Degrees Fahrenheit
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