Hydrometeorology

Hydrometeorological, Hydrologic, Seismic, and Other Considerations affecting  the Safety of Existing and Future Dams

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The Hydrometeorology Associates* offer consulting, research programs, and studies in the fields of meteorology, hydrology, hydrometeorology, hydrogeology, climatology, hydraulics, hydrologic engineering, and water resources management for the purpose of determining or re-determining the proper, safe size of existing and future dams and their spillways.  The civil engineers, seismologists, and soil specialists of our member organizations can provide studies and investigations into the earthquake safety and structural integrity of existing dams and dams under design.

 Teton Dam, ID Failure, June 5, 1976

                                                 * The Hydrometeorology Associates is an association of meteorologists and scientific companies.

  • FORENSIC DISCOVERY and EXPERT WITNESS TESTIMONY in depositions and court trials, regarding extreme rainfall, Katrina and other recent hurricanes, the safety of dams, or any other meteorological, hydrometeorological, or hydrologic issues, from heavy rain or strong wind to floods or ground water contamination.

  • PROBABLE MAXIMUM PRECIPITATION  (PMP)  determinations.

    • Evaluation of existing PMP criteria in light of recent storm events and meteorological studies.

    • Determination of revised PMP for new and existing dams and spillways.

  • PROBABLE MAXIMUM FLOOD  (PMF)  determinations.

    • Evaluation of existing PMF criteria in light of revised PMP and updated flood routing criteria.

    • Determination of revised PMF for new and existing dams and spillways.

  • Storm studies, Part I and Part II. 

    • Part I:  Detailed meteorological isohyetal analyses of major historical storms, including recent storms:

      • Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 2005, in Louisiana and Mississippi, plus other 2005 hurricanes.

      • Hurricanes of 2004 in Florida and northward through the eastern Atlantic states.

      • Other major hurricanes of the past 20 years.

      • Major mid-latitude flood-producing storms, including those of 1993 in the Great Plains.

    • Part II:  Detailed depth-area-duration (DAD) analyses; DAD curves (graphic and digital) from Part I storm isohyets for use in the development of Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) for dam safety considerations and in other reservoir and channel design.

  • Spillway design: ability to pass probable maximum flood flow - updated criteria.

  • Reservoir design: ability to store probable maximum flood volume, in conjunction with spillway flow - updated criteria.

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  • FLOOD-WARNING SYSTEMS.

  • Other direct-reading and remote-reading meteorological and hydrologic instrumentation systems.

  • Hydrometeorological research and studies, geared toward determination of PMP, as well as other major design storms.

    • General mid-latitude storms.

    • Hurricanes.

    • Extreme local thunderstorms.

      • Air-mass thunderstorms - deserts.

      • Air-mass thunderstorms - humid areas.

      • Heavy thunderstorms embedded in hurricanes.

      • Heavy thunderstorms embedded in mid-latitude general storms, especially along cold fronts.

  • Dam safety, dam and levee structure studies.

  • Maximum Credible Earthquake criteria for structural safety of dams - updated criteria.

  • Dam and levee failure inundation maps.

  • Dam failure - public awareness programs.

    • Contingency preparedness by officials and by public.

    • Evacuation studies and planning.

      • Determination of feasibility of mass evacuations below various reservoirs.

      • Planning for, and design of, implementation of evacuation measures.

    • Flood-control channel design; ability of channels to handle extreme flood flows.

    • Rainfall frequency determinations:  durations from 1 minute to 10 days - updated criteria.

    • Flood frequency analyses: 

      • Peak river levels; annual maximum flow rates.

      • Maximum reservoir levels or storage volume.

Other hydrometeorological and civil engineering consulting and research services pertinent to dam safety:

  • Heavy precipitation research, studies, and modeling.

  • Radar rain rate determinations, including NEXRAD interpretation.

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  • Hurricane research and studies; hydrometeorological aspects of hurricanes.  Potential effects of possible global warming on hurricane frequencies and paths.

  • Effects on PMF of mud and debris flows from burned watersheds

  • Infiltration rates:  studies of watersheds above reservoirs, especially minimum infiltration rates at times of PMP events.

  • Effects of cloud seeding upon water yield - significant if cloud seeding happens to precede an extreme rainfall event.

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  • Drought duration studies - for purposes of sizing the maximum water-supply storage needed in a reservoir and the available flood-control space for the storage of a PMF event.

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  • Global warming / cooling; climatic change - natural and man-made; possible effects upon Probable Maximum Precipitation.

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  • Soil studies, research and experiments on soil compaction - relative to safety of dams and their foundations.

  • Examination of existing dams for integrity of structure: 

    • Possible cracks or seepage.

    • Vulnerability to earthquakes.

    • Other structural defects.

  • Design storms for flood control and water resources.

  • Flood plain management studies.

  • Flood warning system design.

  • Snowfall and snow hydrology research and studies; snow sublimation.

  • Snow melt research and studies; rates of snow melt under various meteorological conditions; flood potential of snow melt, contribution of snow melt to PMF (very large or very high altitude watersheds only). 

  • Flood preparedness, including spillway flow (other than dam break):  official planning; public awareness and planning.

  • Severe storm and hail research and studies. 

  • Water resources research and studies; stochastic watershed analysis.

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  • Reservoir water control manuals; hydrologic manuals.

  • Climatic studies of normal and extreme precipitation.

  • Cloud physics, cloud dynamics:  research, modeling.

  • Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping expertise.

  • Tsunami warning system design.

For more information about these and other services of  The Hydrometeorology Associates, contact:

Edward M. Tomlinson, Ph.D,  Principal Hydrometeorologist:  

  (719) 488-9117,  cellular (719) 650-3522,  fax (413) 410-8509,  e-mail  awai@adelphia.com.

P. O. Box 860, Monument, CO  80132.

Charles B. Pyke, Ph.D,  Senior Hydrometeorologist and Climatologist: 

  toll-free, U.S. and Canada: (888) 786-7696, local and cellular (520) 625-8316,  fax (520) 625-8317, 

  e-mail: Telephone (888) 786-7696 to obtain new e-mail address.

P. O. Box 1747, Green Valley, AZ  85622-1747

web sites:  http://www.scienceexperts.com, http://www.califweather.com, and  http://www.charlespyke.com.

Donald T. Jensen, Ph.D,  CCM,  PH,  Senior Hydrometeorologist and Climatologist: 

e-mail  djensen@cc.usu.edu.

1740 East 1400 North, Logan, UT  84341.

See also the web sites http://www.hydrometeorology.com and  http://www.extremerain.com

Special photo credits:   Top left of page:  Teton Dam Failure, Teton River, ID, June 5, 1976 - U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), photo by Eunice Olson.  Bottom of page (immediately above):   1  Hoover Dam, Colorado River, NV-AZ - USBR.    2. Hungry Horse Dam and Reservoir, MT - USBR.    3. Jackson Lake Dam and Spillway, upper Snake River, WY - USBR.    4. Teton Dam remnants, after the disastrous failure of June 5, 1976 - USBR.    5. Flood, Rexburg, ID, as result of Teton Dam Failure, June 5, 1976 - USBR.    6. Flooded farm country - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NIOAA), photo no. 715.  

For a special collection of photos of the failure of the St. Francis Dam, CA, March 12, 1928, go to http://www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/stfrancis.htm. More photos of dam failures and floods are available through Google, Alta Vista, and other search engines.

Links to other websites operated by Dr. Charles B. Pyke, Associated Science Experts, LLC, Western U.S. Weather & Earth Sciences, and

California Weather & Earth Sciences, LLC:

http://www.scienceexperts.com,   http://www.westernusweather.com,  and  http://www.califweather.com. 

Website © 2008 Charles B. Pyke, Ph.D., Senior Hydrometeoroligst and Climatologist, The Hydrometeorology Associates.  All rights reserved.  Website administered and operated by Associated Science Experts, LLC, Charles B. Pyke, Ph.D., Principal Scientist.  Site designed by Dr. Pyke, Business Success Websites (888) 863-9932 and updated 5/31/08.