Flash Flood Warning Decision Making Using FFMP-Advanced

Introduction:

The WDTB has developed a training course to support changes to Flash Flood Warning Decision Making. The implementation of AWIPS OB 8.3 brings significant changes to warning decision making as a result of new data and technology. The Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction Advanced (FFMP-A) system has changed from radar centric processing to grid based processing. In addition, warnings will now be able to incorporate basin names into the text of flash flood warnings. This inclusion will help the NWS achieve its goals of smaller areas described in flash flood warnings.

Training will support learning about how to use the new technology and products in FFMP-A, especially with respect to integration into flash flood warnings. Through application exercises on the Weather Event Simulator (WES), students will be able to reinforce learning though practice.

Instructions:

The Course is divided into five lessons on FFMP-A with one additional companion lesson on the Multisensor Precipitation Estimator (MPE). The presentations are in streaming format, so no download is required. Depending on your internet connection, there may be some slight delays with slide transitions. If you have a slower internet connection and regularly experience problems with these streaming presentations, you can also download a copy of the presentation to a machine in your office and play the presentation locally. Presentation durations are approximate and do NOT include testing and survey completion times on the LMS.

Course Description:

Lesson 1: Introduction (10 min) – This lesson presents the rationale and general description of the course. It contains a pretty cool little video of a flash flood in Utah.
(4.14 MB ZIP file)

Lesson 2: FFMP-Advanced: New and Updated Functionality (30 min) - This lesson provides an overview of new and updated functionality in the FFMP-A such as:

• Using different QPE inputs to compare with FFG for one or multiple CWAs
• Applying Forced Flash Flood Guidance using the FFFG GUI to compare with QPEs in specific areas
• Using the Basin Table to recognize areas where QPE exceeds FFG values at various time durations
• Using the Basin Trend graph to examine how QPE and FFG values compare over time for a specific basin
• Using the Attribute Threshold window to change threshold parameters for all four levels to distinguish the flash flood threat for a given basin

Special feature: This lesson includes an interactive tour of FFMP-A to see the specific differences between FFMP-A and the legacy version.
(8.01 MB ZIP file)

Lesson 3: High-Resolution Precipitation Estimator (HPE) (15 min) – This lesson provides a description of HPE processes and its mosaic products on AWIPS.
(7.02 MB ZIP file)

Lesson 4: Best Practices with FFMP-A and Issuing Basin Based Flash Flood Warnings (30 min) – This lesson steps you through the process for integrating FFMP-A data into the actual flash flood warning process. The lesson also describes warning polygon and text strategies for issuing basin-based flash flood warnings.
(12.5 MB ZIP file)

Lesson 5: Application and WES Case Review: SLC Event (30 min) – This lesson is a WES exercise using a recent flash flood event in the Western United States. Participants will have an opportunity in this simulation to utilize the new data sets and technology in FFMP-A to formulate basin-based flash flood warnings in the Salt Lake City County Warning Area (CWA). 

The 1.7 GB Case is available on a separate DVD that was mailed to the SOO (or WES focal point)

After completing the WES exercise, please login to the LMS to take the Course Final Test.

(Complementary Training): Multisensor Precipitation Estimator (MPE) (30 min) – A Lesson by Greg Shelton, Sr. HAS Forecaster, West Gulf RFC in which he describes the need for multiple sensors to create precipitation estimates (radar, satellite, and gauge data). He describes the MPE process to calculate bias correction for radar precipitation estimates. And, the lesson shows the computation and application of bias correction factors, especially how MPE creates the mean field bias factors which is supplied to HPE.
(37.4 MB Zip file)

**Click here to download a zip file that contains the Powerpoint presentations for this course.**

Feedback

WDTB welcomes your feedback on how well this training supported your understanding of the operational impacts of FFMP-A in AWIPS OB8.3. Please send us your comments! Thanks!

Reference documents

OB8.3 WES User’s Manual (PDF)

AWIPS OB8.3 User's Manual

Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction (MDL site)
Specific documentation on how to add HPE/Bias HPE grids to FFMP-A