Devastating floods in southeast Alabama during past decades demonstrated the need for modern enhancements to provide real-time warnings of threatening weather. As a result of a congressionally-authorized Reconnaissance Study in 1993, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, in cooperation with CPYRWMA, designed and installed a basin-wide Flood Warning System (FWS). The overall purpose of the system is to provide timely, reliable, and accurate warnings to communities along the Choctawhatchee, Pea and Yellow Rivers which could be subject to flooding during periods of heavy inclement weather. The system is the largest and only basin-wide flood warning system in the State of Alabama. Operation and maintenance of the FWS is the responsibility of the CPYRWMA to ensure the system is fully capable of monitoring and forecasting potential flooding conditions.
Rainfall and river-level data from the gauges are sent via a radio signal to one of four repeaters located on area towers which transmit the data to base computers located in New Brockton, Elba, and Geneva, Alabama. During periods of threatening weather and heavy rainfall, the system is constantly monitored by the CPYRWMA which disseminates the data real time to the National Weather Service (NWS) which uses the information to develop forecasts. Data are also transmitted real time to the Emergency Management Agency offices and to local and state officials, and to first responders. The NWS has the legal authority to monitor potential flood threats and to issue formal flood warnings for these river systems.
Heavy Rain-CPY
The first of five atmospheric rivers arrived with a bang late Friday, as heavy rain and mountain snow struck Northern California, spreading to Central California on Saturday, with some parts of the state expecting more than a foot of snow through early Sunday.
Forecasters expect the next storm that moved in Sunday night to be more powerful than the last one. Aside from some periodic breaks, much of the week is expected to bring heavy rain with more storms on the horizon, said Hannah Chandler-Cooley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sacramento.
A storm will develop, intensify and lift northward from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes over the next two days. The weather hazards of most concern today are severe thunderstorms with damaging winds, isolated large hail and tornadoes and heavy rain with possible flooding in the Lower Mississippi Valley and Mid South. Then on Thursday, a zone of heavy snow may fall in Iowa and Wisconsin. Read More > 2ff7e9595c
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