Advanced Flood Forecasting System
The Hillslope Link Model (HLM) is at the core of IFC’s real-time flood forecasting system. The HLM framework describes runoff processes at hillslopes and channel links, estimating flows at more than 420,000 channels in the river network. The model ingests rainfall, evapotranspiration, and runoff information and issues forecasts at 2,000 points on Iowa’s river network, including 1,000 Iowa communities and other points of interest. Radar-based rainfall data produced in near real-time drives the IFC forecasting system. Statewide rainfall intensity and accumulation maps are updated every five minutes, processing data from seven Next Generation Weather Radars (NEXRAD) covering Iowa. Information flows through the IFC Central Database, IFC Forecasting Model, and IFC Rainfall System, before ultimately being visually displayed on the Iowa Flood Information System.
Iowa Flood Information System
IFIS visualizes flood alerts and forecasts to help communities and individuals be better prepared during flood events
“I rely heavily on the partnership between the Iowa Flood Center and the Winneshiek County Emergency Management Agency, not only during times of flooding but also on ‘blue sky days’. Our continued partnership has evolved over the years to the point of the IFC being front and center in the preparedness phase of emergency management. They added two new bridge sensors that allow flood inundation modeling in the Decorah area, and at this juncture, I could not imagine flood preparation without the IFC.”