Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (Nov 2019)

Towards an automatic early warning system of flood hazards based on precipitation forecast: the case of the Miño River (NW Spain)

  • J. González-Cao,
  • O. García-Feal,
  • D. Fernández-Nóvoa,
  • J. M. Domínguez-Alonso,
  • M. Gómez-Gesteira

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-19-2583-2019
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 19
pp. 2583 – 2595

Abstract

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An early warning system for flood prediction based on precipitation forecast is presented. The system uses rainfall forecast provided by MeteoGalicia in combination with a hydrologic (Hydrologic Modeling System, HEC-HMS) and a hydraulic (Iber+) model. The upper reach of the Miño River and the city of Lugo (NW Spain) are used as a study area. Starting from rainfall forecast, HEC-HMS calculates the streamflow and Iber+ is automatically executed for some previously defined risk areas when a certain threshold is exceeded. The analysis based on historical extreme events shows that the system can provide accurate results in less than 1 h for a forecast horizon of 3 d and report an alert situation to decision makers.