BOARD00685

• Board Meeting Date: 3/21/2002
• Description: Flood Section - Flood and Drought Outlook 2002
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board

Department of Natural Resources
1313 Shennan Street, Room 721
Denver I Colorado 80203
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.us

MEMORANDUM

Bill Owens
Governor

Greg E, Walcher
Executive Director

To:
From:
Date:
Re:

Colorado Water Conservation Board Members /v
Larry Lang, P.E. Chief, Flood Protection Section L-f
March 14, 2001
Agenda Item 23c - March 21-22, 2002
Flood and Drought Outlook 2002

Dan McAuliffe
Deputy Director

Rod Kuharich
CWCB Director

Introduction
In 1995, the Board started providing informational messages and assistance to the Colorado
citizenry regarding the seasonal and monthly flood potential outlooks. This activity was in
response to the extremely high flood threat that existed from a record snowpack in 1995. These
outlook reports are prepared from the member technical presentations to the Colorado Flood
Task Force and posted on the CWCB website, Identified threatened communities throughout the
state are faxed the reports as a early warning measure, The Flood Task Force is chaired by the
CWCB. These reports have proven to be of much interest to the Colorado citizenry and
govemment emergency response managers and are linked to the CWCB web page. .

The Colorado Office of Emergency Management (OEM) chairs the Colorado Drought Task
Force. The task force has a membership that has an interest in the annual drought forecast and
water supply for Colorado water users.

Discussion
John Henz, Senior Meteorologist withHDR Engineering Inc" has been an active member of the
Colorado Flood Task Force since 1995, John's long-term flood forecasts over the past seven
years have been of considerable value to the Colorado citizenry. John has been providing long-
term drought forecasts to clients in Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana
and Idaho since the mid 1980's,

Presentation
John Henz will present a preview of both spring and summer 2002 weather with specific
forecasts and outlooks for precipitation, temperatures, severe weather, drought and flooding
conditions for each of the state's major drainage basins, Despite John's 35 years of weather
forecasting in Colorado, he admits "at times the crystal ball gets hazy (blowing dust or heavy
rains) and will share with you the reasons why our "crystal ball" will be dusty or wet this year."
John will provide us with a weather outlook for the spring and summer 2002 and glimpse into
the distant weather future of the 2000's in Colorado based on some new research he has recently.
developed.

Flood Protection. Water Supply Planning and Finance. Stream and Lake Protection
Water Supply protection. Conservation and Drought Planning