Calibration of the NWS model in the Northwest: a status report

The Northwest River Forecast Center has been using the SSARR model for four decades to forecast streamflows in the Columbia River and western Oregon and Washington basins. A major effort is now underway to calibrate Pacific Northwest basins with the National Weather Service River Forecast System (NWSRFS) model, including the NWSRFS snow model. Staff of the NWFRC have calibrated more than half of the basins of northwestern Washington, and should have all of western Washington finished by fall 1995. Calibrations must address both the winter flood forecast season and the spring snowmelt season (emphasis on both floods and multi-purpose water management). Some parameters, such as seasonal melt rated, reflect unique Pacific Northwest climatology. In the Columbia River Basin, many calibrations have been done for the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) by a private contractor, and those results will be available for use by the NWS.