List of Nominations Connecting User Needs with Weather Research and Forecasts Rebecca E. Morss National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder, Colorado, USA

List of Nominations Overall Goals Understand: –Weather forecasting needs of current and potential users of forecasts –How people do and could incorporate weather forecasts into decision-making Connect this understanding with weather research and forecasts: –Compare benefits of different forecast improvements –Work towards improving forecasts in ways that are likely to greatly benefit society –And so on …

List of Nominations Projects Assessing the needs of users of QPF (Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts) Use of weather information by QPF forecasters and users during PACJET-2001 Influence of weather and climate variability on evaluations of flood risk Superstorm 1993: A case scenario approach for integrating meteorological and societal research

List of Nominations Systematically, comprehensively assess the needs of users of QPF Improving QPF has been identified as a national (and international) priority QPF can be improved in a number of ways e.g., lead time, accuracy, spatial / temporal resolution, deterministically or probabilistically Achieving different QPF improvements can require different research and operational efforts Which QPF improvements should we invest in, to most benefit society?

List of Nominations Assessing the needs of users of QPF Focus for this pilot project: Warm season (approx. May - September) Lead time: minutes - days Users: Colorado Front Range (including Denver, Boulder) and surrounding areas

List of Nominations To systematically investigate how QPFs are and could be used, across society: Identify (all) major users of QPF Review and synthesize relevant literature Interview stakeholders Survey selected user communities Methodology

List of Nominations Sectors of Potential QPF Users Flood / landslide warning, control, and response Water supply and reservoir management Hydropower generation and power plant cooling Environmental quality Agriculture Livestock production Recreation / leisure Fire management Transportation Construction Mining Public

List of Nominations Literature Review Purpose: –Develop a baseline knowledge of precipitation impacts and QPF use in each sector –Identify an appropriate mix of interviewees –Construct appropriate interview questions Includes: –Peer-reviewed literature (meteorology, hydrology, etc.) –Existing studies of use and value of weather and climate information –Conference proceedings– Instructional materials –Overview documents – Web searches

List of Nominations Stakeholder Interviews Producers of QPF e.g.,U.S. National Weather Service forecasters private sector forecasters Intermediaries e.g.,U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (River Sys & Met group) agricultural extension services Users of QPF in each sector individuals, e.g., flood warning personnel group representatives, e.g., farming associations

List of Nominations Stakeholder Interviews Purpose: –To develop a more complete, more detailed understanding of current and potential QPF use in each sector –To test hypotheses and modify knowledge developed from the literature review and previous interviews Interviewees selected to represent a range of perspectives, rather than to obtain a statistically representative sample –If necessary, follow up with a mail/ survey Conducted in this order (to the extent possible) to help identify interviewees and refine questions for subsequent interviews

List of Nominations Examples of possible uses of results Develop user-relevant measures of forecast quality Estimate costs of precipitation-related events to society Estimate socioeconomic value of different forecasts Compare costs and benefits of different forecasting system improvements Identify subsectors, impacts, event types, forecast types, etc. to study in greater detail Develop societally beneficial forecast products and decision tools Develop the research programs required to generate these products and tools

List of Nominations Projects Assessing the needs of users of QPF (Quantitative Precipitation Forecasts) Use of weather information by QPF forecasters and users during PACJET-2001 Influence of weather and climate variability on evaluations of flood risk Superstorm 1993: A case scenario approach for integrating meteorological and societal research

List of Nominations Use of weather information by QPF forecasters and users during PACJET-2001 Pacific Land-falling Jets Experiment, Jan – Feb 2001 Goal: to improve short-term winter weather forecasts on the U.S. West Coast, with an emphasis on QPF To explore use of PACJET-related observations and forecasts: –Interviewed and observed National Weather Service meteorological and hydrological forecasters –Interviewed several emergency managers and water resource personnel in California Results: Maps of use of information in decision-making

List of Nominations Influence of weather and climate variability on evaluations of flood risk Evaluations of flood risk (e.g., floodplain maps) are based on estimates of future precipitation and flood discharge In mountainous regions (e.g., Colorado Front Range), such estimates are especially uncertain because: –Precipitation tends to vary significantly (in space & time) –Watersheds tend to be small and to respond rapidly –Available data is insufficient to account for this variability Goal: To provide weather / climate information and analysis techniques that are useful in flood risk evaluations

List of Nominations On March 1993, a major winter storm affected 26 eastern U.S. states, Cuba, and eastern Canada Superstorm 1993 caused, in U.S.: approximately 270 deaths, over $2 billion in property damage, power outages, major transportation delays, economic disruption, etc. However, many of these impacts are unavoidable Using Superstorm 1993 as a focusing case, explore –Potential for improving different types of forecasts of such storms (e.g., increase lead time, ensemble forecasts) –Potential value of such improvements to society Superstorm 1993: Integrating meteorological and societal research

List of Nominations Questions?