2. USGS Overview Workshop on Improved Quality of Data and Data Exchange for Climate Research and Analysis NOAA National Climatic Data Center Bill Hazell, Asheville Field Office Chief North Carolina Water Science Center United States Geological Survey

3. First Gaging Station Established in 1889 Rio Grande near Embudo, New Mexico

4. The Embudo Legacy Data collected using nationally consistent, prescribed standards

5. No PFD’s but neckties mandatory!

6. Data Dissemination – Real-Time Over 8,000 sites

7. USGS Stream Gaging Network in NC

8. Real-Time Streamflow Data

9.  Monitoring streamflow in North Carolina since 1895  Monitored and measured the benchmark floods including those of 1916, 1940, 1945, 1954, 1977, 1996, 1999, 2004  Floyd the “Granddaddy” for eastern North Carolina 9

10.  Basic piece of data collected at the streamgage is river stage or gage height  Stage data is available on the web at: nc.water.usgs.gov

11. Discharge or Streamflow is the second key component and must be measured by USGS staff directly or indirectly at stream gages

12. 12  River stage data is routinely transmitted via satellite every 1 to 4 hours and displayed on the internet.  During extreme events data can be transmitted as frequently as every 15 minutes

13. 13

14. 14

15. 15

16.  Streamflow or discharge data are critical to the flood forecasting needs of the National Weather Service  Ninety-eight percent of stations used for real-time river forecasting are operated by the U S Geological Survey  The streamflow data are used in models for flood forecasting Stream Gaging and Flood Forecasting A Partnership of the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Weather Service U. S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-066-95 Measuring Streamflow on the French Broad River NWS Flood Forecasts

17. Topics Database Flood Monitoring Drought Flood Inundation Maps