Durham, North Carolina

the National Weather Service has declared March 15 through 19 as flood
safety awareness week. The National Weather Service in Raleigh will
feature a different educational topic each day during the awareness
week. Today's topic: advanced hydrologic prediction service... ahps
for short.

What is ahps?

Ahps is the NWS ongoing effort to modernize NWS hydrologic services.
Ahps will provide improved river and flood forecasts and water
information across America to protect life and property and ensure
the nations economic well being. Ahps graphical products are
available at the NWS
homepage... http://www.NWS.NOAA.Gov/rivers_tab.Php

Who can benefit from ahps?

Everyone who makes decisions based on water, including farmers, river
boat pilots, emergency managers, Municipal water supply officials,
recreationists, and dam operators can benefit from ahps.

What will ahps do for me?

Because every minute counts, ahps will help emergency managers be
more proactive to a flood. Ahps provides information for community
leaders and business owners to make better life-saving decisions
about evacuating people or moving property before a flood. The
navigation community will be able to plan with better confidence and
optimize barge and shipping operations, saving millions of dollars
each year. Recreational users will be able to stay out of harms
way. Ahps, with its suite of enhanced information, provides the
public with more detailed and accurate answers to the following
questions.

How high will the rivers rise?
When will the River Reach its peak?
Where will the flooding occur?
How long will the flood last?
How long will the drought last?
How certain is the forecast?