On Wednesday, April 9, Professor Humberto Vergara presented recent advances from the Advanced Weather and Hydrologic Applications (AWHA) group at the weekly meeting of the Iowa Flood Center. His presentation titled "Towards improved flood and flash flood warning lead times for Iowa" focused on one of the core research areas of the group: Enhancing Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting (QPF) to Improve Flash Flood Predictions.

A central part of the presentation was a case study on the flash flood event that impacted Spencer, Iowa, on June, 2024. This extreme weather event brought intense rainfall over a short period, leading to widespread flooding that overwhelmed drainage systems and affected homes, roads, and businesses. Professor Vergara presented a comprehensive analysis of the event, including hydrological modeling, storm depiction in forecasting models, and challenges in anticipating such rapidly developing systems.

He also introduced a new research direction being led by the AWHA group, which involves improving storm forecasting through the use of storm climatology and trajectory tracking. This approach seeks to identify patterns in storm behavior and integrate them into forecasting frameworks, aiming to enhance the precision of QPF and support better-informed flood preparedness.

Dr. Vergara’s presentation underscored the group’s commitment to advancing data-driven, operational tools that strengthen Iowa’s ability to respond to flash flood threats.