NOAA to update precipitation frequency estimates for Texas

Media teleconference Sept. 27
Staff Sgt. Class Richard Call, of the New Jersey National Guard, and members of New Jersey Task Force 1, assist evacuees in Wharton, Texas, Aug. 31, 2017, due to devastating effects caused by Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath.

Staff Sgt. Class Richard Call, of the New Jersey National Guard, and members of New Jersey Task Force 1, assist evacuees in Wharton, Texas, Aug. 31, 2017, due to devastating effects caused by Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath. (Image credit: Photo: Senior Master Sgt. Robert Shelley/U.S. Air National Guard)

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NOAA’s Office of Water Prediction will host a media teleconference to discuss a new study called Atlas 14 Volume 11: Precipitation Frequency for Texas on Thu., Sept. 27. The updated precipitation estimates will supersede those currently available for Texas from the 1960s and 1970s.

Atlas 14 data help state and local communities prepare for potential flooding and minimize weather's impacts on lives and livelihoods. Precipitation frequency estimates are used by engineers and planners to bring knowledge of flood hazards into land use and development decisions, including managing and designing stormwater infrastructure. Estimates are also used in hydrologic models to delineate flood risks and manage development in floodplains for FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program.

NOAA’s Atlas 14 defines extreme events such as a 100-year storm – an event that has a 1-in-100 chance of being exceeded in any given year at a particular location. Atlas 14 is a multi-volume collection that provides an analysis of precipitation frequency for states and regions of the United States.

WHAT:
Media teleconference on NOAA Atlas 14 for Texas, followed by Q & A.

WHEN:
Thu., Sept. 27; 11 a.m. CDT

HOW:
Call-in #: 1-888-831-2978; Password: NOAA

WHO:     

  • Mark Glaudemans, director, Geo-Intelligence Division, NOAA’s Office of Water Prediction

  • Sanja Perica, Ph.D., chief, NOAA’s Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center, Office of Water Prediction

The new study will be available at 9 a.m. CDT on Thu., Sept. 27 at the Precipitation Frequency Data Server: https://hdsc.nws.noaa.gov/hdsc/pfds/index.html.

This media briefing is for credentialed reporters only. Audio of the briefing will be available following the event on NOAA.gov.

 

Contact:
Maureen O’Leary, 301-427-9000

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