Applied Weather Associates

Latest News:
1. AWA selected to complete the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania PMP study. This will include a comprehensive reanalysis of the Smethport, PA July 1942 world record rainfall event.

2. AWA selected to complete a site-specific PMP for the Antamina Mine in the Peruvian Andes. Click here for more information about this unique mining location.

3. AWA writes chapter on PMP (chapter 126) in recently published "Handbook on Applied Hydrology, 2nd Edition", click here to take a look at the book on Amazon. Thoroughly revised for the first time in 50 years, this industry-standard resource features chapter contributions from a “who’s who” of international hydrology experts. Compiled by a colleague of the late Dr. Chow, Chow’s Handbook of Applied Hydrology, Second Edition, covers scientific and engineering fundamentals and presents all-new methods, processes, and technologies.

4. Texas Statewide PMP completed-Results and Report now available on the TCEQ Dam Safety website, click here.

About AWA

Applied Weather Associates specializes in Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) studies. We provide quality high-resolution meteorological analysis and data for use in PMP analyses, hydrologic model calibration and validation, meteorological time series input development, probability of meteorological parameters, and forensic meteorological investigations. Our team employs expert analysis, innovative approaches, and state-of-the-science technology to provide our clients with consistently reliable products accepted by appropriate regulators. We operate with integrity and strive to build and maintain strong relationships with our clients, partners, and community. We excel in developing data designed to provide solutions using advanced hydrometeorological analysis. Our PMP and data analysis studies have received regulator (Federal/State/Local) approval.
We specialize in:

Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) analysis
Precipitation frequency
Probability of PMP
Hydrometeorology applications
Gridded precipitation and meteorological variable input data for Model Calibration and Validation and other hydrologic analyses
Rainfall analysis using SPAS
Forensic meteorology

AWA History

Applied Weather Associates, LLC (AWA) is a small business that has been working on PMP and meteorological analyses since 1996. AWA specializes in meteorological analyses and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications with emphasis on Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) and rainfall analysis. AWA employs several meteorologists and GIS specialists, each with a unique skill set and experience that results in optimized analysis and understanding. AWA has more than 100 PMP projects completed during since the mid 1990's and several currently in progress. These studies have covered basins less than 1-square mile in area size to the entire state of Texas. AWA PMP studies have been accepted by state and Federal dam regulatory agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), numerous state dam regulatory offices and many are under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). In addition, our studies have been accepted by Canadian dam regulators and mining industry professionals.

AWA Background

AWA has completed PMP studies for many locations across North America, including Canada and most of the US. Recent work now includes international locations, where AWA has recently competed the PMP and regional Precipitation Frequency analysis for the Grasberg Mine basin in Papua, Indonesia. The sizes of the regions studied vary from entire states to basins less than one square mile. Each study is comprehensive in its approach for determining PMP values based on the unique geographic location, topography and climate of the region where the study is located. Emphasis is placed on using procedures developed by the National Weather Service in its Hydrometeorological Reports (HMR) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in its PMP manual while applying advanced analysis, updated storm data, and data processing techniques. AWA has also completed over 600 new storm analyses using our Storm Precipitation Analysis System (SPAS) across the US, Canada, Mexico, and other international locations. These data are used in projects related to PMP determination, model calibration, model validation, and forensic meteorology. AWA is a leader in identifying and incorporating new technologies and meteorological data into extreme rainfall studies and provides complete services related to meteorological databases, precipitation analyses, development of meteorological parameters for snow melt calculations, and probabilities of each parameter. SPAS has incorporated NEXRAD weather radar data when available and calibrates the data hourly with rain gauge observations to provide rainfall for periods as short as every five minutes with a spatial resolution of approximately 1/3rd square mile. Extensive use of GIS provides detailed and reproducible PMP analysis results.

AWA has developed refinements and improvements related to the HMR methods and procedures with updated technologies and meteorological understanding incorporated. These improvements provide more reliable analysis results for incorporating site-specific characteristics of a basin and understanding of the meteorological characteristics of the PMP rainfall. Examples of the improved procedures developed, implemented, and accepted by Federal and state regulators for use in deriving PMP include quantifiable and reproducible orographic analysis; spatial distribution of PMP rainfall; areal timing of PMP rainfall; spatial, temporal, and magnitude analyses of historic rainfalls; updated rainfall analyses of recent extreme rainfall events; and updated sea surface temperature/dew point climatologies used for storm maximization and storm transpositioning. Many of the updated procedures that will be used have been reviewed and accepted by numerous peer reviewers including the FERC, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and several state dam regulators as part of AWA's other PMP studies.

AWA is in a unique position to provide PMP and rainfall analysis that no other competitor can provide, as we have the most comprehensive storm database available, have developed updated dew point and sea surface temperature climatologies for use in storm maximization and transposition, have familiarity in working with numerous regulatory agencies, and have updated the methods used to produce PMP values in orographically influenced regions.