Flood forecasting - Oldman river basin

In areas subjected to flash flooding, timely flood warnings can reduce the damage to property and lessen the danger to life. This paper discusses the effect of snowcover on major floods in the Oldman River Basin in Southern Alberta. It describes the steps involved in the development of the existing forecasting model for the Oldman River Basin and the associated problems and limitations in the forecasting procedure development are discussed.The steps involved in the preparation of operational real-time forecasts are explained, from the receipt of meteorologic forecasts and hydrometeorologic data to the generation of the flood forecasts and the issue of the actual flood warnings. Specific reference is made to the generation of the forecast for the flood of June 1975 in the Oldman River Basin.