(TLP:CLEAR) NOAA’s Atlas 15 Update Moving Ahead to Update US Precipitation Estimates

Summary: NOAA has announced that, after a brief delay earlier in the year, the Atlas 15 project will be continuing. NOAA’s Atlas 15 project is the update to the U.S.’s Precipitation Frequency Atlas 14, which provided estimates of expected precipitation depth/intensity at specific locations of interest for various storm durations. The Atlas 15 update will provide spatially continuous coverage over the entire United States and, for the first time, will also account for future temporal trends (through the year 2100).

NOAA Atlas 15 will consist of two volumes. NOAA Atlas 15 Volume 1 will provide a snapshot of current estimates that account for temporal changes in historical observations. NOAA Atlas 15 Volume 2 will provide model-based precipitation frequency estimates projected into the future. Data for the contiguous United States is expected to be available in 2026, with data for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories will be available in 2027.

Analyst Note: Atlas 14 is referenced in many engineering design standards and floodplain regulations, published by entities outside of NOAA, and engineers and other practitioners use those standards and regulations to make local decisions (designs for drainage infrastructure, city and regional planning, etc.)

However, a common weakness of these estimates in this era of intensified climate change is that they don’t consider future climate trends, making it difficult for engineers and planners to estimate infrastructure needs. Atlas 15 will hopefully reduce this uncertainty and help strengthen future investments in resilient infrastructure.

Original Source: https://www.floods.org/news-views/policy-matters/after-brief-delay-noaas-atlas-15-project-moves-ahead/

Additional Reading:

• After Brief Delay, NOAA’s Atlas 15 Project Moves Ahead
• Trump Administration Resumes Work on Atlas 15 Flash Flood Risk Database

Related WaterISAC PIRs: 16, 16.1, 17, & 18