PubTalk 10/2018 — Post-fire debris flow early warning

Title: Post-Fire Debris-Flow Early Warning: The case for forecast-based warning systems

• Post-fire debris flows can initiate after only a few minutes of intense rain, and during the first storm following wildfire.
• Early warning systems must provide sufficient time to make informed decisions and take reasonable preventative action.
• If you're relying upon real-time measurements of stream flow or rainfall in your watershed to decide when to take action, it is too late.
• Measurements of debris flows are important for improving our understanding of these phenomena, but are of limited utility for early warning.