Department of Commerce • National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration • National Weather Service
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INSTRUCTION 10-924
AUGUST 2, 2011
Operations and Services
Hydrologic Services Program, NWSPD 10-9
WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE HYDROLOGIC REPORTING
NOTICE: This publication is available at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/directives/
OPR: W/OS31 (D. Matusiewicz)
Type of Issuance: Routine.
Certified by: W/OS3 (T. Graziano)
SUMMARY OF REVISIONS: This directive supersedes NWS Instruction 10-924, “Weather
Forecast Office Hydrologic Reporting,” dated December 8, 2008. The following revisions were
made to this instruction:
1) Adds a new section 3 describing the relationship between the WFO IHFS-DB and the
National River Location Database (NRLDB). Renumbers subsequent sections accordingly.
2) In section 4, clarifies the requirement for all WFOs to set the flood retention parameter for
the Flood-TS table to 30 months.
3) Revises the fourth sentence of section 4 to provide HPMs with two options for hydrologic
reporting of crests above flood stage.
4) In section 5.1.2, expands bullet “c” to more clearly describe the type of impact information
that should be included in the monthly report of hydrologic conditions and to describe how
the Hydrologic Information Center (HIC) uses this information.
5) Adds sources for supporting information on the IHFS-DB at the end of the first paragraph of
Appendix A.
6) Revises the last sentence of the Site Information paragraph of Appendix A to accurately
describe the new table format.
7) Expands the column descriptions in the tables in Appendix A to more clearly describe what
should be stored under many of the column names. Adds a screen capture of the HydroBase
interface used to enter information described in the corresponding table.
(Signed) July 19, 2011
David B. Caldwell Date
Director, Office of Climate,
Water, and Weather Services
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
2
Weather Forecast Office Hydrologic Reporting
Table of Contents Page
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................2
2. River Gage Station Description and History .............................................................................2
3. Relationship to National River Location Database ....................................................................3
4. Flood Stage Reports ...................................................................................................................3
5. Monthly Report of Hydrologic Conditions ................................................................................3
5.1 Content ..............................................................................................................................4
5.1.1 Summary ................................................................................................................4
5.1.2 Flood Conditions ...................................................................................................4
5.1.3 River Conditions ....................................................................................................4
5.1.4 Drought ..................................................................................................................4
5.1.5 Water Supply .........................................................................................................5
5.1.6 General Hydrologic Information ...........................................................................5
6. Distribution of Reports ..............................................................................................................5
Appendices
A. Required IHFS-DB Fields for River Gage Station Description and History ............... A-1
B. Template of WS Form E-3: Flood Stage Report ...........................................................B-1
C. Template of WS Form E-5: Monthly Report of Hydrologic Conditions ......................C-1
1. Introduction. Centralized collection of river station descriptions and recent hydrologic
activity is required to support operations and management of the National Weather Service
(NWS) Hydrologic Services Program. Historically, this reporting has been accomplished
through hard copy forms such as Weather Service (WS) Forms E-19, E-19a, E-5 and E-3. This
directive provides instructions to Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) on the population and
maintenance of the Integrated Hydrologic Forecasting System Database (IHFS-DB) and the
hydrologic reports required from WFOs. WFO hydrology program managers (HPM) are
responsible for ensuring the required IHFS-DB fields are current and accurately populated and
for preparing the forms and reports described below.
2. River Gage Station Description and History. The database fields identified in
Appendix A provide a complete description and history of all gages that have been used for
public forecasts since establishment of the station. The data and information within these
database fields provide an operational reference and serve as a quick review of the public service
needs within a particular river reach at the onset of and during a flood. The HPM should review
the data stored for each gage in these fields a minimum of once every 5 years and within 30 days
of a significant event which necessitates an update to the database such as when a river stage
reporting station is discontinued.
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3
Database fields for river gage station information and history should be maintained for all river
gage stations used by the NWS in any part of the Hydrologic Services Program regardless of
ownership. These locations are sometimes separated into two categories – forecast points and
data points, which are specifically defined in NWS Instruction 10-950, Definitions and General
Terminology as:
a. Forecast Points – locations along a river or stream for which hydrologic forecast
and/or warning services are provided by a WFO.
b. Data Points – locations along a river or stream for which observed data is input to
RFC or WFO hydrologic forecast procedures, or included in public hydrologic
products. Flood forecasts and warnings are not issued for data points.
For a new river forecast point, the HPM should populate the appropriate IHFS-DB fields
identified in Appendix A and distribute the information to NWS offices which use the data
before river forecast service for the site is added to the Hydrologic Services Program. For a new
data point, the appropriate IHFS-DB fields identified in Appendix A should be populated no
more than 60 days after data from the site are incorporated into the NWS program.
River gage station description and history information stored in IHFS-DB may be printed and
filed in traditional WS Form E-19 and WS Form E-19a formats from HydroBase to serve as a
local reference document and to be distributed as appropriate.
3. Relationship to National River Location Database. The National River Location
Database (NRLDB) is populated when an automatically executed script accesses (1) river gage
station description and history tables from each WFO’s IHFS-DB and (2) forecast services tables
from each RFC’s IHFS-DB. The combined information is then stored as a national database.
Procedures on the forecast services tables at RFCs may be found in NWS Instruction 10-914,
River Forecast Center Reporting. NWS employees can obtain more information on the NRLDB
at https://osip.nws.noaa.gov/osip/processDocsStatus.php (scroll down to “08-007 National River
Location Database (NRLDB).”
4. Flood Stage Reports. After a flood event, the HPM will ensure the crest stages and
duration above flood stage data posted to the IHFS-DB are accurate. Hydrologic reporting of
crests above flood stage can be accomplished by maintaining an extended Flood-TS table in the
IHFS-DB and providing a completed template of Weather Service Form E-3 (shown in
Appendix B). To maintain flood stage reports within IHFS-DB, the retention parameter on the
Flood-TS table will be 30 months. Whenever a river crests at or above flood stage, HPMs will
prepare a WS Form E-3 (shown in Appendix B) or provide the equivalent information through a
regionally-developed mechanism. Rivers and stations in flood are listed in a downstream order.
Provide inclusive dates for the duration of flooding for each station. Days with flood stage or
higher will be considered in determining the duration of the flood. Submit the completed WS
Form E-3 template with WS Form E-5 as described in Section 5.
5. Monthly Report of Hydrologic Conditions. By the 15
th
of each month, a report will be
prepared summarizing hydrologic conditions in the Hydrologic Service Area (HSA) during the
previous calendar month. The report will follow the format of WS Form E-5 (shown in
Appendix C). The general content and dissemination of this report is specified below.
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4
5.1 Content. Include one or more of the following sections in the monthly report of
hydrologic conditions:
a. Summary
b. Flood Conditions
c. River Conditions
d. Drought
e. Water Supply
f. General Hydrologic Conditions
Include the summary section each month. Include the other sections if local conditions warrant.
5.1.1 Summary. The text of the summary will include a general overview of hydrologic
conditions. If there was no significant hydrologic activity, a simple statement to that effect is
sufficient.
5.1.2 Flood Conditions. When a flood occurs, prepare a descriptive summary of the flooding.
The report should be comprehensive but concise and should include the following:
a. A statement as to the rivers, areas, and states in which the floods occurred; the
period of flooding, its magnitude, and interesting or unusual features; if floods
were of unusual severity; and a tabular comparison with past floods.
b. A summary relative to the rainfall or other conditions causing the floods,
indicating the approximate average precipitation over the basins.
c. A summary of impacts during significant flood events that produced one or more
fatalities and/or large scale property damage. This section should include location
and extent of the impacts, number of deaths by state, and total property damage
figures (if available). The HPM should coordinate with the local Warning
Coordination Meteorologist, who is responsible for gathering this information and
writing impact summaries of major flood events for the NWS Storm Data
Program. This information is useful to the Hydrologic Information Center
(National Weather Service Headquarters), which is tasked with providing flood
damage reports and flood loss statistics to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
upper-level NWS leadership.
d. A general statement as to hydrologic warnings and forecasts issued and effective-
ness of hydrologic services provided by the WFO. In the discussion of lead time,
include flood mitigation actions taken and monetary savings realized, if known.
5.1.3 River Conditions. When no floods have occurred, describe miscellaneous hydrologic
conditions such as significant rises, record low stages, ice conditions, and opening and closing of
the river to navigation.
5.1.4 Drought. When drought conditions affect the HSA, a drought section will be included in
the monthly hydrologic summary. Topics may include information on precipitation deficits,
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5
stream conditions, ground water levels, soil moisture conditions, impacts on water supply,
agriculture and fire danger, drought declarations issued by civil or water management authorities,
as well as long-term outlooks. A copy of a recently issued Drought Information Statement
(DGT) for the WFO area may be used for this section (see NWS Instruction 10-1201, WFO
Drought Products Specification).
5.1.5 Water Supply. In areas where water supply conditions are of particular interest, the
summary may include information on past precipitation, snow conditions, water supply forecasts,
reservoir and ground water levels, and anticipated problems.
5.1.6 General Hydrologic Information. This section may include general information on
hydrology in the HSA that is not included in the sections above. It may also include topics of
local interest.
6. Distribution of Reports. E-mail copies of the Monthly Report of Hydrologic Conditions
and, if required, the Flood Stage Report to the Hydrologic Information Center ([email protected]) as
an attachment by the 15
th
of the following month. Also send copies to the appropriate river
forecast center and hydrologic services division, hydrologic and climate services division, or
hydrologic services branch (within a climate, water, and weather division) at regional
headquarters. Additional copies of the report may be sent to other offices based on local
agreements.
The file format may be either MS Word (.doc, .docx) or Portable Document Format (.pdf). File
name will adhere to the following format:
E5_SID_YYYY-MM.ext and
E3_SID_YYYY-MM.ext,
where,
SID is the 3-letter WFO site identification,
YYYY is the 4-digit year,
MM is the 2-digit representation of the month, and
ext is the three letter file format extension (doc or pdf).
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-1
APPENDIX A – Required IHFS-DB Fields of River Gage Station Description and History
The HPM is responsible for overall quality of the information stored in the IHFS-DB.
Information in the database fields identified below summarizes a river/stream location’s
description and history. Filling in these fields is required for all river/stream locations used in
any part of the NWS Hydrologic Services Program regardless of who operates the gaging station.
If it is impossible to obtain information for a field, it may be left unpopulated. Sources for
supporting information on the IHFS-DB are listed below.
Guidance on the content and format of information to be entered in each field, which was
developed by the 2007 Database Standardization Team, can be found at:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/water/WFO_support/documentation/Guidelines_and_Stand
ards_for_Selected_Reference_Tables_in_the_IHFS_and_RAX_Databases.doc
Documentation on the IHFS-DB can be found at:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/oh/hrl/ihfs/database/html/databases.php
Various data codes for SHEF are referenced in the Standard Hydrometeorological
Exchange Format (SHEF) Code Manual.
Definitions of key terms used in these database field names can be found in NWS
Instruction 10-950, Definitions and General Terminology.
Site Information. Tables 1-19 contain a list of fields required in the IHFS-DB. The contents of
each table include tablename.column.name (where the data value can be found in the database),
the type of database value, and a description of the field. Asterisks indicate foreign key
constraints. IHFS-DB is a relational database. In the context of relational databases, foreign key
constraints refer to field values that have to be previously defined in other tables. Figures 1-19
show Hydrobase windows that depict the database fields that are required to be maintained.
Tables
1. Location information found in the HydroBase Location menu/Modify Location window
2. Observer information found in the HydroBase Location menu/Data Sources
window/Observer page
3. Telemetry information found in the HydroBase Location menu/Data Sources
window/Telemetry page
4. DCP information found in the HydroBase Location menu/Data Sources window DCP
page
5. River location information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/RiverGage window
6. River location information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/RiverGage
window/Additional Info page
7. Flood Impact Statement Information found in the Hydrobase Rivergage menu/Impact
Statement window
8. Fields found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Flood Category window
9. Crest information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Crest History window
10. Reference information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/References window
11. Datum information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Datum window
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A-2
12. Benchmark information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Benchmark window
13. Gage information found in the HydroBase Rivergage menu/Publications window
14. Gage information found in the HydroBase Rivergage menu/Gage History window
15. Low Water information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Low Water window
16. Drought/Low Water Impact Information found in the HydroBase Rivergage menu/Low
Water Statement window
17. Descriptive conditions for a location found in the HydroBase RiverGage
menu/Description window
18. Flood damage information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Flood Damage
window
19. Reservoir information found in the HydroBase Reservoir menu/Reservoir window
Figures
1. Location menu/Modify Location window in HydroBase
2. Location menu/Data Sources window/Observer Page in HydroBase
3. Location menu/Data Sources window Telemetry Page in HydroBase
4. Location menu/Data Sources window DCP Page in HydroBase
5. RiverGage menu/RiverGage window in HydroBase
6. RiverGage menu/RiverGage window Additional Info page in HydroBase
7. Rivergage menu/Impact Statement window in HydroBase
8. RiverGage menu/Flood Category window in HydroBase
9. RiverGage menu/Crest History window in HydroBase
10. RiverGage menu/References window in HydroBase
11. RiverGage menu/Datum window in HydroBase
12. RiverGage menu/Benchmark window in HydroBase
13. RiverGage menu/Publications window in HydroBase
14. RiverGage menu/Gage History window in HydroBase
15. RiverGage menu/Low Water window in HydroBase
16. Rivergage menu/Low Water Statement window in HydroBase
17. RiverGage menu/Description window in HydroBase
18. RiverGage menu/Flood Damage window in HydroBase
19. Reservoir menu/Reservoir window in HydroBase
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A-3
Table 1. Location information found in the HydroBase Location menu/Modify Location window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
location.lid
char(8)
Unique identifier
location.name
char(20)
Name (Location)
location.county
char(20)
*County name
location.state
char(2)
*State
location.rb
char(30)
River basin name
location.lat
float
Latitude
location.lon
float
Longitude
location.sn
char(10)
Station Number (NWS Index Number) (NCDC station number)
location.rfc
char(5)
*RFC
location.hsa
char (3)
*HAS
location.sbd
date
Station begin date
location.lremark
char(255)
Directions to gage station/other remarks
location.tzone
char(8)
Time zone
location.elev
float
Elevation of the normal ground surface where the station is
located
location.network
char(3)
Network
location.wfo
char(3)
*WFO
location.detail
char(10)
The direction and distance (in whole miles) from a location to the
nearest U.S. Post Office
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A-4
Figure 1. Location menu/Modify Location window in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-5
Table 2. Observer information found in the HydroBase Location menu/Data Sources window/
Observer Page.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
observer.firstname,
observer.lastname
char(12),
char(28)
Observer’s Name
observer.a1,
observer.a2,
observer.a3,
observer.city,
observer.state,
observer.zip
char(30),
char(30),
char(30),
char(30),
char(2),
char(10)
Address: Number and Street
2
nd
line for location, if needed
3
rd
line for location, if needed
City
State
Zip Code
observer.dos
date
Start date of service
observer.spons
char(7)
*Sponsor
observer.ornr
char(4)
Order number found on form CD-404
observer.hphone
char(12)
Home phone number
observer.phone
char(18)
Work phone number
observer.rate
float
Rate
observer.email
char(60)
E-Mail address of contact
observer.rprt
char(60)
Duties or reporting criteria
observer.recip
char(15)
*Recipient
observer.comm
char(10)
*Comms type
observer.tsk
char(13)
Task
observer.ssn
char(11)
Social security number
observer.gn
char(1)
Gender
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A-6
Figure 2. Location menu/Data Sources window/Observer Page in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-7
Table 3. Telemetry information found in the HydroBase Location menu/Data Sources window
Telemetry Page.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
telem.type
char(10)
*Telemetry Type
telem.owner
char(10)
*Telemetry Owner
telem.payor
char(10)
*The organization that pays for the telemetry services costs
telem.rptfreq
char(4)
Reporting Frequency
telem.obsvfreq
char(10)
Observation Frequency
telem.cost
float
Monthly telemetry pay or cost of line
telem.phone
char(18)
Phone number
telem.sensorid
char(10)
Device sensor id
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-8
Figure 3. Location menu/Data Sources window Telemetry Page in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-9
Table 4. DCP information found in the HydroBase Location menu/Data Sources window DCP
Page.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
dcp.goes
char(8)
DCP (GOES) ID
dcp.owner
char(10)
*DCP Owner
dcp.rptime
char(8)
DCP Report Time
dcp.rptfreq
char(4)
DCP Report Interval/Frequency
dcp.obsvfreq
char(10)
DCP Observation Frequency
dcp.randrept
char(1)
T/F column which defines whether or not the DCP provides
random reports at intervals less than the published reporting
frequency for the platform
dcp.criteria
char(512)
Statement of the criteria for reporting observations that is assigned
to each automated telemetry or GOES DCP platform
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-10
Figure 4. Location menu/Data Sources window DCP Page in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-11
Table 5. River location information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/RiverGage
window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
riverstat.stream
char(32)
Official name of river or stream
riverstat.da
float
Drainage area
riverstat.mile
float
River Mile
riverstat.zd
float
Zero Datum (Elevation of the gage zero)
riverstat.lat
float
Latitude
riverstat.lon
float
Longitude
riverstat.fs
float
Official flood stage of a river, stream, or lake
riverstat.wstg
float
Official action stage of a river, stream, or lake
riverstat.fq
integer
Flood Flow
riverstat.action_flow
float
Action Flow
riverstat.remark
char(255)
Directions to gage station/other remarks
riverstat.threshold_runoff
float
Threshold runoff value for a site
riverstat.rrevise
date
The date when E-19 data was last updated for a river station
riverstat.use_latest_fcst
char(1)
A true/false flag indicating whether RiverPro should use the
latest (as in basis time) forecast data when computing the mofo
(maximum observation/forecast)
riverstat.primary_pe
char(2)
Primary stage or discharge physical element (SHEF PE code)
for a river station
riverstat.group_id
char(8)
A short form identifier for a group of forecast points as used by
the RiverPro application
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A-12
Figure 5. RiverGage menu/RiverGage window in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-13
Table 6. River location information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/RiverGage
window Additional Info page.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
riverstat.vdatum
char(20)
Vertical Datum
riverstat.cb
float
Checkbar Stage
riverstat.bf
float
Bankfull Stage
riverstat.tide
char(8)
Tidal Effects
riverstat.gsno
char(10)
USGS Gage Number
riverstat.por
char(30)
Period of Record
riverstat.level
char(20)
Leveling Agency and Leveling Date (Level)
riverstat.rated
char(20)
Rating Agency (Rated)
riverstat.ratedat
date
Date that the current rating curve for a river station became
effective
riverstat.rsource
char(20)
Agency that determined the latitude and longitude for a river station
riverstat.usgs_ratenum
char(5)
USGS rating number
riverstat.backwater
char(8)
Indication of any backwater effects at a river gage site
riverstat.pool
float
Normal pool elevation, measured in feet above mean sea level, at
a river station
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Figure 6. RiverGage menu/RiverGage window Additional Info page in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-15
Table 7. Flood Impact Statement Information found in the Hydrobase Rivergage menu/Impact
Statement window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
floodstmt.impact_value
float
Impact Value
floodstmt.impact_pe
char(2)
Impact PE
floodstmt.datestart
char(5)
Seasonal start date
floodstmt.dateend
char(5)
Seasonal end date
floodstmt.statement
char(512)
Impact
floodstmt.rf
char(1)
Code that indicates a rising or falling condition exists in relation to
river stage
Figure 7. Rivergage menu/Impact Statement window in HydroBase.
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A-16
Table 8. Fields found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Flood Category window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
floodcat.major_stage
float
Major flood stage
floodcat.major_flow
float
Major flood flow
floodcat.moderate_stage
float
Moderate flood stage
floodcat.moderate_flow
float
Moderate flood flow
floodcat.minor_stage
float
Minor flood stage
floodcat.minor_flow
float
Minor flood flow
Figure 8. RiverGage menu/Flood Category window in HydroBase.
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A-17
Table 9. Crest information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Crest History window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
crest.datcrst
date
Date of Crest
crest.timcrst
char(5)
Time (LST)
crest.stage
float
Crest (ft)
crest.q
float
Flow (cfs)
crest.hw
char(1)
True/false flag that indicates whether an observer determined a
crest event by visually examining high water marks on a staff gage
or not
crest.olddatum
char(1)
True/false flag indicator of whether an old datum was in effect when
the associated crest was recorded or observed
crest.jam
char(1)
True/false flag indicating if the crest was caused by an ice jam
crest.suppress
char(1)
True/false flag that indicates whether a crest event should be
suppressed or displayed on output depictions
crest.prelim
char(1)
Indicates if the associated crest is a preliminary reading,
observation subject to adjustment upon receipt of official records
from the rating agency, or a record
crest.cremark
char(80)
Remarks
Figure 9. RiverGage menu/Crest History window in HydroBase.
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A-18
Table 10. Reference information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/References window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
refer.reference
char(70)
References
Figure 10. RiverGage menu/References window in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-19
Table 11. Datum information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Datum window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
datum.elev
float
Zero Datum (Elevation at Gage Zero) (Elevation of the normal
ground surface where the station is located (ie. NGVD 1929)
datum.ddate
char(10)
Date of the last update of this record in the Datum or DamCat
tables
Figure 11. RiverGage menu/Datum window in HydroBase.
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A-20
Table 12. Benchmark information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Benchmark
window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
benchmark.bnum
char(6)
Benchmark number
benchmark.remark
char(255)
Description
benchmark.elev
float
Elevation of the normal ground surface where the station is
located
Figure 12. RiverGage menu/Benchmark window in HydroBase.
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Table 13. Gage information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Publications window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
pub.ppub
char(25)
Publication/Location of Records
pub.pbegin
date
Starting date of records
pub.pend
date
Ending date of records
Figure 13. RiverGage menu/Publications window in HydroBase.
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Table 14. Gage information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Gage History window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
gage.type
char(10)
*Gage Type
gage.owner
char(10)
*Owner
gage.maint
char(10)
*Maintaining agency
gage.gbegin
date
Begin service date
gage.gend
date
End service date
gage.remark
char(255)
Gage Location/Remarks
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Figure 14. RiverGage menu/Gage History window in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
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Table 15. Low Water information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Low Water
window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
lowwater.lwdat
date
Date of low water
lowwater.stage
float
Stage (ft)
lowwater.q
float
Flow (cfs)
lowwater.lwrem
char(80)
Remarks
Figure 15. RiverGage menu/Low Water window in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-25
Table 16. Drought/Low Water Impact Information found in the Hydrobase Rivergage
menu/Low Water Statement window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
lwstmt.pe
char(2)
SHEF physical element code value
lwstmt.lower_value
float8
Lower value defining the range for which the low water impact
information applies
lwstmt.upper_value
float8
Upper value defining the range for which the low water impact
information applies
lwstmt.lw_criteria
varchar(512)
Criteria of low water statement table
lwstmt.lw_source
varchar(512)
Source of low water statement
lwstmt.statement
char(512)
Text statement describing the low water conditions
lwstmt.criteria_rank
integer
If multiple criteria for a given range exist, then this column
specifies the order in which the criterion are listed and uniquely
identifies each
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-26
Figure 16. RiverGage menu/Low Water Statement window in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-27
Table 17. Descriptive conditions for a location found in the HydroBase RiverGage
menu/Description window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
descrip.bed
char(60)
Stream Bed
descrip.reach
char(80)
Reach (limits, width, length)
descrip.res
char(255)
Regulation of upstream reservoir
descrip.divert
char(60)
Diversion (Effect that streamflow diversion has on a river station)
descrip.ice
char(160)
Winter (Freezing)
descrip.topo
char(255)
Topography
descrip.remark
char(255)
Remarks
descrip.proximity
char(6)
*Proximity
locarea.area
Float
The area of a two-dimensional planar figure such as a county, a
forecast zone, or a river basin
Figure 17. RiverGage menu/Description window in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-28
Table 18. Flood damage information found in the HydroBase RiverGage menu/Flood Damage
window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
flood.stage
float
Stage
flood.damage
char(512)
Areas Affected (Damage)
flood.dispstmt
char(60)
Displayable statement to summarize flood damage
Figure 18. RiverGage menu/Flood Damage window in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-29
Table 19. Reservoir information found in the HydroBase Reservoir menu/Reservoir window.
Table Name
Column Name
Type
Column Description
reservoir.name
char(20)
Reservoir name
reservoir.impounded
date
Impound date (Start date for the reservoir)
reservoir.type
char(10)
*Reservoir type
reservoir.owner
char(10)
*Reservoir owner and/or operator
reservoir.surchg
float
Max surcharge elevation (Maximum elevation at which water will
be stored in a reservoir before release is required)
reservoir.top
float
Top elevation (Elevation of the top of the dam that holds a
reservoir)
reservoir.sill
float
Sill elevation (Elevation of the sill structure of the dam that holds a
reservoir)
reservoir.elev
float
Reservoir elevation
reservoir.floodpool
float
Flood pool height (Capacity of a reservoir) (Water releases occur
at this level)
reservoir.spillway
float
Spillway pool height (Elevation of the spillway structure of the dam
that holds a reservoir)
reservoir.conserpool
float
Conservation pool height (Water level of a reservoir that is desired
to be conserved in order to serve the needs of downstream water
users during non-rainy times of the year)
reservoir.deadpool
float
Dead pool height (Lowest water level allowed for a reservoir
through normal operations)
reservoir.damidn
char(5)
National Inventory of Dams ID (NIDID)
reservoir.damids
char(2)
National Inventory of Dams State
reservoir.uses
char(8)
Designator of the uses made of a reservoir
reservoir.gates
integer
Number of output gates that a reservoir has
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
A-30
Figure 19. Reservoir menu/Reservoir window in HydroBase.
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
B-1
APPENDIX B – Template of WS Form E3: Flood Stage Report
NWS Form E-3 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
(04-2006) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
(PRES. BY NWS Instruction 10-924 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FLOOD STAGE REPORT
Hydrologic Service Area (HSA)
REPORT FOR:
MONTH
YEAR
RIVER AND STATION
FLOOD
STAGE
(Feet)
ABOVE FLOOD STAGES
(Date)
CREST
FROM
TO
STAGE
(Feet)
DATE
NWSI 10-924 AUGUST 2, 2011
C-1
APPENDIX C – Template of WS Form E5: Monthly Report of Hydrologic Conditions
NWS Form E-5 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
(04-2006) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION
(PRES. BY NWS Instruction 10-924) NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
MONTHLY REPORT OF HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS
HYDROLOGIC SERVICE AREA (HSA)
REPORT FOR:
MONTH YEAR
TO: Hydrologic Information Center, W/OS31
NOAA’s National Weather Service
1325 East West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3283
SIGNATURE
DATE
When no flooding occurs, include miscellaneous river conditions below the small box, such as significant rises, record low
stages, ice conditions, snow cover, droughts, and hydrologic products issued (NWS Instruction 10-924)
.
An X inside this box indicates that no flooding occurred within this hydrologic service area
.
