Weather Research Center – 5104 Caroline St. – Houston, Texas 77004 - 713-529-3076 - Email:

12:00 pm - 5:00 pmRegistration

1:00 pm - 5:00 pmShort Courses

  • Introduction to Storm Surge, the NWS SLOSH Model and SLOSH Based Products. Jamie Rhome, NationalHurricaneCenter
  • Flash Flood; Rainfall, Runoff and Hydrologic Response. Matt Kelsch, COMET.
  • Skywarn Spotter Training and Basic Radar Interpretation. Dan Reilly, Houston/Galveston National Weather Service.

5:00 pm - 7:30 pm Evening Social/Exhibits Open

7:00 am - 3:00 pm Registration

PLENARY MORNING SESSION

8:00 am - 9:30 am Plenary Session

  • Welcoming Remarks from Jill Hasling; President, WeatherResearchCenter
  • Honorary Conference Chair; Harris County Judge Ed Emmett
  • Mike Talbot; Director, Harris County Flood Control District
  • Bill Read; Director, National Hurricane Center
  • Roy Sedwick; Texas Floodplain Management Association

9:30 am - 10:00 am Coffee Break

CONCURRENT MORNING SESSIONS

10:00 am - 11:20 am Concurrent Session A1: Offshore

  • Update on the Coastal and Inland Flood Observation and Warning (CI-FLOW) System for the 2011 Hurricane Season; Dr.Randall Kolar, University of Oklahoma
  • Coupled Hurricane Surge and Storm Runoff at the Coastal Interface; Jason Christian, Rice University
  • The Vulnerability of Gulf of Mexico Shipyards to Coastal Flooding as a Result of Storm Surge; James Vavasour and Christopher Bowman, MatthewsDaniel
  • Recovery Efforts in the Unincorporated Areas of Galveston County Following Hurricane Ike; Michael Tehrani, Huitt-Zollars Inc.

10:00 am - 11:20 am Concurrent Session A2: ALERT/FWS/Monitoring

  • Harris County Flood Control District Flood ALERT System NEMA Box Project; Richard Velasco and Brian Barr, Harris County Flood Control District
  • Harris County Flood Control District Sensor Reporting and Data Contention Reduction; Jonathan Cheng , Harris County Flood Control District
  • A Collaborative Monitoring System in Harris County, Texas; Jeff East, USGS and Rene Mirelas, Harris County Flood Control District
  • Modernization of the Harris County Flood Control District Flood Warning System; Donald Van Wie, Telos Services, Inc.

11:30 am - 1:00 pm Lunch provided in Exhibitor Area

CONCURRENT AFTERNOON SESSIONS

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Concurrent Session B1: Case Studies

  • The Great Southeast Texas Flood of 1994; Duane Barrett, HDR Engineering & Andrew C. Yung, Dodson and Associates
  • Causes Behind the Heavy Rainfall Amounts From Tropical Storm Allison; Paul Lewis, Houston/Galveston National Weather Service
  • Real-Time Analysis of Hurricane Irene Rainfall Using the Storm Precipitation Analysis System; Bill Kappel, Applied Weather Associates, LLC
  • Major Flooding Associated with the Remnants of a Tropical Cyclone - A Case Study of Lee; Charles Ross, State College National Weather Service
  • When the Flood Threat is Imminent in the Aftermath of the Fourmile Canyon Fire; Kevin Stewart, Urban Drainage and Flood Control District
  • Flooding in the greater Chicago area in a changing climate; Dr. Momcilo Markus, University of Illinois

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Concurrent Session B2: ALERT/FWS/Monitoring

  • Monitoring High Hazard Dams; Frank Gutierrez, High Sierra Electronics, Inc.
  • Development of a Near-Real Time Flood Forecasting System in the San Antonio River Basin; Wayne Tschirhart, San Antonio River Authority
  • Iowa Flood Information System; Ibrahim Demir, University of Iowa
  • CoCoRaHs - Volunteer Precipitation Observations: Providing Valuable Information in Extreme Rainfall Events; Henry Reges, Colorado State University
  • Accuracy Achieved in Hydrologic Prediction; Dr. Baxter Vieux, Vieux, Inc.
  • Jeddah Flood Warning System - Planning for Flood Warning in a desert environment; Andrew Rooke, AECOM

3:30 pm - 11:00 pm Evening Social - Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (ticketed event)

7:00 am - 5:00 pm Registration

8:00 am - 9:20 am Session C1: Modeling/H&H

  • An Analysis of Flash Flooding over the Southern Appalachians: Forecasting Methods & Techniques; Anthony Phillips, Ball State University
  • Using a High Resolution Local Model to Aid with Forecasting Convection and Heavy Rainfall across Southeast Texas; Lance Wood, Houston/Galveston National Weather Service
  • Conflicts in 100-Year Pool Elevations for Addicks and Barker Dams Endanger People and Property; Lawrence Dunbar Sr., Water Resources and Environmental Engineering Consultant
  • Utilizing Advanced Modeling for Storm Water Management; Stephen Reiter, Halff Associates

9:20 am - 9:40 am Coffee Break

9:40 am - 11:00 am Session C2: Modeling/H&H

  • Determination of Stream Flows for Unstudied Watersheds; Fred Liscum, HCFCD
  • Visualization of the Floods Using Advanced Modeling and Inundation Mapping; Ataul Hannan, HCFCD
  • Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling in the Clear Creek Watershed; Heather Winter, Rice University
  • Distributed Hydrologic Model of The Woodlands, Texas: Representing Hydrologic Effects of Low Impact Development; George Doubleday, Rice University

11:00 am - 1:00 pm Conference Luncheon

  • Speaker Joseph Bruno, Director of Emergency Management, New York City – Hurricane Irene Preparation for New York City

1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Session C3: Public Awareness/Mitigation

  • Moving Toward A Weather Ready Nation; David Vallee, Northeast River Forecast Center
  • An Overview of Decision Support Services Provided During The Historic Floods of 2011; John Feldt, Southeast River Forecast Center
  • Integrated Hazard Information Services -- Phase 1 -- Forecasted Tools for Issuing Hydrologic Hazards in AWIPS II; Bryon Lawrence, NOAA
  • U.S. National Weather Service Inland Flood Prediction and Warning Services: Status and Plans; Edward Clark, National Weather ServiceOffice of Climate, Water and Weather Services
  • A National Voice: How the National Hydrologic Warning Council Services us all; Steve Fitzgerald, Harris County Flood Control District
  • SSPEED Center Update for 2012; Philip B. Bedient, Rice University

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm Coffee Break

3:30 pm - 4:50 pm Session C4: Public Awareness/Mitigation

  • A Water Web Services HUB to Support Situational Awareness during Flood Events; Fernando Salas, University of Texas
  • Missing Ingredient: High-water mark inventory for Texas; Melinda Luna, TWBD/TNRIS
  • Westside Creeks Restoration - Adding Flood Mitigation goals to an Ecosystem Restoration Project; Andrew Rooke, AECOM
  • A Simplified Method of Implementing No Rise Analysis in Unnumbered A-Zones Based Upon No Loss of Conveyance;Dr. Dwayne Culp, Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.

5:00 pm - 7:30 pm Evening Social

8:00 am - 10:00 am Session D1: Public Awareness/Mitigation

  • Application of data mining in short-term discharge and water quality forecasting; Dr. Momcilo Markus, University of Illinois
  • Weather Related Flooding - Unique Emergency Preparedness and Response; Russell Kaiser, Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council
  • Flood Protection Planning for UT Medical Branch in Galveston; Charles Penland, Walter P. Moore & Associates
  • Evaluating the Effectiveness of Planning Activities in Reducing Flood Losses: A National Study; Dr. Wes Highfield, Texas A&M University at Galveston
  • Successful Outreach and Public Involvement Program in Pasadena, Texas; Dr. Daya Dayananda, City of Pasadena
  • Serving the Citizens of Harris County; Before, During and After a Flood; Jeff Lindner, HCFCD & Dave Schwertz, Houston/Galveston National Weather Service

10:00 am - 10:30 am Coffee Break

10:30 am - 12:00 pm Closing Plenary Session

  • Examining Hurricane Irene's Hydrometeorological Impacts on the Northeast United States – A Northeast River Forecast Center Perspective; David Vallee, Northeast River Forecast Center
  • Metro Nashville – Recovering from the historic flood of May 2010; Bradley Heilwagen, AMEC
  • Lessons Learned by the USGS Tennessee Water Science Center during 2010 and 2011 Floods; Shannon Williams, USGS
  • Closing Remarks from Jill Hasling; President, Weather Research Center

12:00 pm Conference Adjourns