How can I obtain river forecasts (flood forecasts)?
River forecasts (flood forecasts) are made by the National Weather Service River Forecast Centers and released through local Weather Service Offices. The NOAA Web site has a map showing the location of the forecast centers, their areas of responsibility, and the location of the gages they use.
The vast majority of current streamflow data used for these forecasts is obtained from U.S. Geological Survey stream-gaging stations, but the USGS has no other responsibility or authority for making forecasts.
See also: Where can I find flood maps?
Related Content
Is there a way to get alerts about streamflow conditions?
Where can I get real-time and historical streamflow information?
How do we benefit from USGS streamgages?
Where can I find flood maps?
How are floods predicted?
What are the two types of floods?
USGS Science – Leading the Way for Preparedness
Learn About USGS Hazards Science and More About National Preparedness Month: The very nature of natural hazards means that they have the potential to impact a majority of Americans every year. USGS science provides part of the foundation for emergency preparedness whenever and wherever disaster strikes.
Stormy weather: How the USGS goes to work monitoring its effects
Atmospheric rivers are a global weather phenomenon that can bring large amounts of rain or snow to the U.S. West Coast each year. These rivers of wet air form over the Pacific Ocean near Hawaiʻi and pick up large amounts of moisture from the tropics and on their way to the West Coast. This moisture is carried in narrow bands across the Pacific Ocean to California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada.
The Vital Nature of Streamgaging
Gary Moore spent the last three days of 2015 stacking hefty bags of sand in front of a fellow church member’s brick home. With only 1,000 feet between the house and the swelling Mississippi and Meramec Rivers, Moore and other volunteers worked quickly, in frigid temperatures, to assemble a 10-foot high, 1,000-foot-long sandbag wall to ward off floodwaters.
Fighting the Floods
The USGS response to the Louisiana floods is part of the larger USGS flood science mission...
Follow Your Stream to Learn About Water
Explore America's streams and rivers from your computer or mobile device.
Stay Current on Your Rivers with USGS WaterNow
For the first time, anyone can find out the current conditions on thousands of rivers and streams across the country, right from their phone, using USGS' latest system WaterNow.WaterNow makes the water conditions monitored by more than 16,000 streamgages and other sites across the country available via text or email.
Tennessee FloodWatch Infographic
Tennessee FloodWatch Infographic
USGS Measures Historic Flooding in eastern Texas
A USGS field crew takes flood measurements on the Sabine River on March 12 near Bon Weir, Texas. USGS scientists on the boat included Jeff East, Jimmy Hopkins, and Jody Avant.
The Anatomy of Floods: The Causes and Development of 2011's Epic Flood Events
Flooding costs the United States more than $7 billion per year and claims more than 90 lives annually. During the Spring and Summer of 2011, the central U.S. experienced epic flooding, while Hurricane Irene followed by Tropical Storm Lee caused severe flooding in the east and northeastern U.S, setting numerous flood records at USGS streamgages. Dr. Robert Holmes discusses
...Streamgages: The Silent Superhero
Whether you drink water from your tap, use electricity or canoe down your local river, chances are you benefit from USGS streamgage information. So what is a streamgage and what does it do for you? This CoreCast episode gives you the inside scoop on your silent superhero.
Transcript and captions available soon.
Measuring streamflow using ADCP during flooding
Measuring streamflow using ADCP during flooding in January 2017, Carson River, Nevada.
Floodplain inundated with water
Floodplain inundated with water
3DEP, flood inundation maps
USGS flood-inundation maps for the Saluda River near Greenville, South Carolina. A lidar-derived elevation model was used to aid in hydraulic modeling to create these maps.
Flooding, Memphis TN, May 10, 2011.
Flooding in the Memphis, Tennesse area, May 10, 2011. (Credit, Jeff Roberson, AP)