Hurricane Harvey: The Storm that Wouldn’t LeaveKatie Landry-Guyton

Senior Service Hydrologist/Meteorologist

National Weather Service – Houston/Galveston

Storm Total Precipitation

Record 60.58”

Nederland, TX

Area of Impact for Southeast Texas

Area impacted approximately

23,280 sq. miles

Roughly the area of CT, DE, RI, and

NJ combined

Hydrograph

• LOCATION: Where the river gauge is located

• OBSERVATIONS: What the river did (past river stages)

• FORECAST: What the river is going to do (forecast river stages)

• STAGE: How high the river is

• DATE/TIME: When did the stages occur or when are the stages occurring.AP/David J. Phillip

NWS Houston/GalvestonRecord River Flooding

Forecasting Challenges with an Unprecedented Event…

• How much rainfall to use in the river forecasts?

• How to message the uncertainty?

• How to model an unprecedented event?

• How to handle the unexpected?

• How to message all of this information?

• How to analyze an unprecedented event?

Supplemental Observations

Temporary staff gauges set up to verify flood wave

Drone Footage

Credit: Moses Druxminman

via Facebook Share

GOES Satellite Imagery

Civil Air Patrol Imagery

Transfer From Brazos to Oyster Creek

Impact of Partnerships on Forecasts

•Without the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey, emergency managers, Harris County Flood Control District, river authorities, drainage districts, and many others, river forecast services would not have been possible.

Ways to Stay Connected and Receive Warnings

NWS Website: https://www.weather.gov/hgx/

NHC Webpage: https://www.hurricanes.gov

NOAA Weather RadioTV and Radio

Social Media

Wireless Emergency

Alerts and Weather Apps

Key: Have multiple ways to receive

weather and water information.

Questions

Katie Landry-Guyton

Senior Service Hydrologist

Katie.landry@noaa.gov

281-337-5074 ext 228