Hydrologic Research Center | A Non-Profit Research Corporation, Established 1993

25 Years: Celebratory Video

This video is produced to celebrate 25 years of HRC operations.

Research and Application

HRC was created to help bridge the large gap existing between scientific research in hydrology and applications for the solution of important societal problems that involve water.

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Prototype Operational Systems

The Center has a long history of implementing prototype systems to support operations of country meteorological, hydrological and water management services.

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Technology Transfer and Training

More than 60 countries worldwide are currently benefiting from systems developed and implemented by HRC in collaboration with country government agencies.

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We design and implement prototype real-time systems that handle data collection and dissemination, and provide useful information for flood and flash flood warnings, and for water resources management. Projects Publications and Reports	Implementation of Global Flash Flood Guidance Early Warning Systems Ongoing Project HRC has designed and is implementing regional Flash Flood Guidance early warning systems globally with its partners, the World Meteorological Organization, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service and USAID/Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance The system is implemented on regional scales and uses Flash Flood Guidance as the basis for forecasters to use operationally to develop flash flood watches and warnings.
	Integrated Forecast and Reservoir Management (INFORM) Ongoing Project The Integrated Forecast and Reservoir Management (INFORM) Project is to demonstrate increased water-use efficiency in Northern California water resources operations through the innovative application of meteorological/climate, hydrologic and decision science.
	WRNs - International Impact-based Forecasting and Warning Services Ongoing Project HRC is the lead technical organization for the development and implementation of hydrometeorological hazard impact-based forecast and warning services in the Republic of South Africa, Barbados, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Sri Lanka.

Our research is both disciplinary and interdisciplinary. Its purpose is to increase understanding of natural hydroclimatic and hydrometeorological processes, soil water processes and flow in drainage networks. The characterization of uncertainty and of natural variability in space and time, and the elucidation of the links between prediction and water management under climatic variability and change are important research targets.	A Comparison of Precipitation Downscaling Procedures to Guide Studies of Climate Change Impacts on Flooding and Water Resources Ongoing HRC is performing a rigorous comparison of the Bias Corrected Statistical Downscaling (BCSD) and the Bias Correction/Constructed Analogs (BCCA) downscaling methods to support the Bureau of Reclamation climate change assessments in small basins in arid climates.
	Incorporating Climate Information and Stakeholder Engagement in Groundwater Resources Planning and Management Completed The project addresses uncertainties from ongoing and projected climate change with meeting water demands in semi-arid regions for groundwater dependent communities where aquifers are being replenished by intermittent streamflow events.
	Development and Implementation of a Landslide Hazard Threat Assessment Module: for Use with Flash Flood Guidance Systems Worldwide Ongoing HRC developed an approach that is suitable for use in conjunction with the operational Flash Flood Guidance systems and with historical landslide susceptibility mapping. The FFG is a source of precipitation and depth-integrated soil moisture and with the historical susceptibility mapping is used to develop a Landslide Hazard Threat Assessment level for susceptible basins.

A strong training program supports worldwide implementations with on-line components and hands-on system training for forecasters. Scientists from HRC and host agencies travel to and from HRC for extended training sessions. HRC also supports visiting scholars, postdoctoral associates and students. Dr. Georgakakos is an adjunct faculty member of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). HRC supports graduate students attending Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD and Dr. Georgakakos serves as their primary academic adviser and dissertation committee chair.	Flash Flood Hydrometeorologist Training Program Ongoing In support of the Global Flash Flood Guidance Program, HRC has developed and implemented a training program focused specifically on flash floods and application of the Flash Flood Guidance systems worldwide. The program is based on a series of workshops, e Learning modules and intensive hands-on training sessions in the regions and at HRC.
	Student Education Support Ongoing HRC maintains a program supporting interns, both paid and unpaid, for various discipline areas involving HRC expertise. Programs for interns are designed to be beneficial to both the intern and HRC and is a critical aspect of HRC's public-benefit mission.
	Future Education Programs Ongoing HRC is in the process of evaluating opportunities to develop specialty courses, workshops and seminars for academics, teachers and professionals in a variety of topics including high-impact weather, water resource management, climate and weather-related hazards, especially floods, flash floods and droughts.

HRC has positions open for a hydraulic engineer and hydroclimatologist

September 8, 2022 All News HRC Admin

HRC is currently seeking to fill positions for a hydraulic engineer and a hydroclimatologist. The successful candidates will work remotely with HRC’s staff of engineers and scientists to contribute their skills toward multi-disciplinary development and deployment... Read More

Unprecedented Monsoonal Flash Floods in Pakistan in 2022

September 1, 2022 All News HRC Admin

A Case Study using August 2022 Products from the Operational Pakistan-Afghanistan Regional Flash Flood Guidance System (PARFFGS) The monsoonal period from the middle of June through the end of August 2022 saw unprecedented rainfall... Read More

HRC Staff Publish Research Paper on Flash Flood Assessment and Operational Prediction in Urban Areas in the Journal WATER

HRC staff members Dr. Zhengyang Cheng, Dr. Konstantine Georgakakos, Cristopher Spencer and Randall Banks published a research paper on flash flood assessment and operational prediction in urban areas in the journal WATER on 13 August... Read More

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Flash Flood Guidance Systems

HRC developed and implemented Flash Flood Guidance Systems have been established with the goal to provide real time data and information in support of National Meteorological and Hydrologic Services (NMHSs) worldwide to provide reliable and effective local flash flood warnings and improve disaster management efficiency. This initiative focuses on flash flood prone regions, especially in countries with sparse real time observations. At this time, more than 60 countries are covered by eleven regional and six single country real-time flash flood guidance systems that are in operation or under implementation and that constitute the Global Flash Flood Guidance (GFFG) system (Read More About the GFFG Program).

The figure shows the FFG system product of six hour accumulations of basin mean areal precipitation over Southern Africa. These data are available to the NMHSs in the region in real time.

Hear from the forecasters about how the Flash Flood Guidance System is helping save lives.

Learn how the Flash Flood Guidance System for Fiji brings Increased Security to Island Communities – CREWS Impact Feature, March 2020

Flash Flood Guidance System: Response to One of the Deadliest Hazards – World Meteorological Organization Bulletin Article

Learn how the HRC Flash Flood Guidance System helps save lives around the world.