NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON, MS NEW ORLEANS/BATON ROUGE, LA Pearl River Basin Watershed Town Hall March 17,

PEARL RIVER BASIN WFO JACKSON RESPONSIBILITY WFO NEW ORLEANS/BATON ROUGE RESPONSIBILITY

ITEMS TO COVER  Weather Forecast Office - Pearl River Operations  Pearl River Basin (Area of Responsibility)  River And Rain Gages in the Upper Pearl Basin  Pearl River High Water Coordination Conference Calls

Weather Service Forecast Office PEARL RIVER OPERATIONS  Collects And Quality Controls Hydrologic Data.  Coordinates Daily River Forecasts With The Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC).  WFO Jackson Coordinates Forecasts With LMRFC And Pearl River Valley Water Supply District (PRVWSD –Ross Barnett Reservoir).  Issues Flood Warnings And Flood Statements.  WFO Jackson Hosts High Flow Coordination Conference Calls For PRVWSD Operations And Jackson Forecast.  Briefs County/Parish Emergency Managers And Conducts Media Interviews.

RIVER AND RAIN GAGES Upper Pearl River

RIVER FORECAST POINTS

Rain Gage Network Hourly rain gages Out of service rain gages Removed Rain Gages Daily Rain Gages River Gages Forecast Gage

PEARL RIVER HIGH FLOW COORDINATION CONFERENCE CALLS  Purpose  Criterion  Procedures

PURPOSE OF COORDINATION CALLS  To Discuss Differences In Ross Barnett Inflow Forecasts Between The Vicksburg Corps of Engineers And The Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center.  To Receive A Briefing From United States Geological Survey On The River Gage Network And Gage Rating Status.  To Provide The Best Possible Information To The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District (Ross Barnett) To Assist Them With Reservoir Operations During Flood Events.  To Help Ensure All Agencies Are On The Same Page During A Flood.

CONFERENCE CALL CRITERION  Criterion For Starting Coordination Calls When Inflows Or Outflows Are Projected To Be Over 30,000 CFS. (Equates To Foot River On the Jackson River Gage) Those Involved:  Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Jackson  Weather Forecast Office (WFO) New Orleans – Baton Rouge  Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center (LMRFC)  USGS – Mississippi Water Science Center  U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers (Vicksburg District)  Pearl River Valley Water Supply District (PRVWSD)  Bill Frederick – NWS Liaison To Mississippi Valley Division Of The Corps of Engineers

CONFERENCE CALL PROCEDURES  WFO JAN : Rainfall And Weather Forecast  USGS : Gage And Rating Status  LMRFC : Ross Barnett Inflow Forecasts And Jackson River Forecast  USACE Vicksburg District : Ross Barnett Inflow Forecasts  PRVWSD : Gives Report On Probable Reservoir Operations Based On Current Information.  Agree On An Official Jackson Forecast Based On Reservoir Operations.  Set Next Conference Call