09/06/2025
Kryptonite Weather with some awesome info about flood forecasting!
Let's dive into something that's making flood forecasting even more powerful than ever before. You've heard us talk about flood warnings and the big picture, but now let's get into the nitty-gritty of why a new technology called event-driven flood inundation mapping (FIM) is a game-changer on a scale most people don't even realize.
It's one thing to hear, "The river will crest at 25 feet." It's another thing entirely to see a map that shows exactly which streets, houses, and critical infrastructure will be underwater at that level.
For years, we've had "static" flood maps—maps that show where a 100-year or 500-year flood could reach. They're useful for planning, but they don't help much in a real-time, unfolding crisis. 100/500 year flood event terminology doesn't really provide much, if any, context to the average citizen.
This new technology, developed by the National Weather Service's National Water Center and its partners, is different. It's event-driven, which means it's not a static picture from the past. It's a living, breathing map that shows you the future.
(The following text is from a NOAA article you can find here:https://www.weather.gov/media/owp/operations/2025_NWS_OWP_FIM_Rollout_Flyer.pdf )
The longstanding demand for event-driven flood inundation mapping (FIM) has increased dramatically in recent years as a high value source of actionable information for emergency and water resource managers to prepare, mitigate, and respond to
flood impacts.
In response, the National Water Center (NWC) of the National Weather Service (NWS), in coordination with NWS
River Forecast Centers (RFC) and Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) along with Federal and other partners, has developed and
demonstrated high-resolution inundation modeling capabilities which complement and expand upon existing static FIM libraries
providing geo-referenced visualizations of forecast flooding extent at the continental scale.
New inundation mapping capabilities translate analysis and
forecasts of streamflow into operational maps that communicate
impact by showing where flooding may occur.
Flood inundation mapping will be provided based on the RFC
streamflow forecasts as well as from the National Water Model
(NWM) streamflow analysis and forecasts. RFC-based inundation
mapping will be provided at and downstream of official RFC
forecast locations and will provide a forecast of maximum inundation extent over the next 5 days.
"Had I had this tool in 2011, we would have had a larger evacuation area established earlier, would have moved emergency assets out of the flood zone, pre-positioned support resources
and been able to provide better information to
the residents of the affected area."
- New York state emergency manager from 2021 tabletop exercise
(End of excerpt)
So, the next time you see a flood inundation map, remember it's not just a picture. It's a powerful tool that translates complex scientific data into actionable, life-saving information. It's the difference between saying "be careful" and "here is exactly what you need to do to stay safe." It's a leap forward in how we prepare for and respond to the most common natural disaster on the planet.