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Figure 2.10 in HMR 55A shows the surface maps associated with the Cherry Creek 1935. The surface low formed over southwestem Utah and tracked over northern New Mexico during the rainfall period. Moisture was advected from the south and east during this period. The A W A team agrees with the NWS comment that the circulation from the low would be enhanced by upslope, and the large scale moisture is from the southeast. The isohyetal map in Figure 2.11 shows the locations of the rainfall from this scenario. This analysis based on rainfall data indicates that the maximum rainfall fell south and east of the Cherry Creek basin, i.e. over the southern slopes of the Palmer Divide and north of the Palmer Ridge in the Kiowa Creek basin, i.e. east of the Kiowa Creek west basin boundary barrier and east of the Cherry Creek basin. Both ofthese storms were extreme rainfall events and both produced rainfall centers north of the Palmer Ridge. The 1965 storm produced rainfall centers north ofthe Palmer Divide in the Plum Creek basin. The 1935 storm produced rainfall centers north of the Palmer Divide in the Kiowa Creek basin. Although these observed rainfall centers occurred north of the Palmer Divide, there were physical constraints that prohibited the observed rainfall centers from occurring within the Cherry Creek basin boundaries. These same constraints prohibit precipitation from "maximizing" north ofthe Palmer Divide over the Cherry Creek basin with the positioning of the precipitation pattern presented in Figures 2 through 5 of the 1995 NWS study violating the "physically possible" constraint of the definition ofPMP. Comment 11 : The application of rounding dew point values to the nearest half-degree is used to increase the analysis precision to that warranted by standard mathematical averaging procedures. An example of integer values averaged to produce a value to the nearest half integer is the determination of the shape ratio used in HMR 52. Section 3.2 discusses storm isohyetal shapes with an integer value ofthe storm shape ratio determined for each of 53 major storms, i.e. 53 integer values. Based on a NWS analysis of these integer shape ratios, a ratio of2.5 was adopted for use. The A W A team recommendation is to use the nearest half-degree when dew points values from various stations are used. The recommended procedure is the use of standard mathematical rounding procedures. Use of these standard procedures will not bias the analysis either upward or downward nor will it "shave half a degree off observed values" since it rounds up as well as rounding downward. It is no more bias than rounding to the nearest degree. Half degree rounding should not be used with observations from a single station but should be used with dew point data from multiple stations. Comment 12: The MM5 modeling did not contribute to the study results and modeling results were reported in Interim Report #2. Hence, the MM5 modeling results were not included in the final report. The results reported in Interim Report #2 can be included as an appendix in the final report if the NWS feels that it provides a significant contribution to the study results.