The FY19 version of the WOC Flash Flood Track is planned to be eleased December15, 2018.
Warning Decision Training Division
Office of Chief Learning Officer
The Warning Operations Course (WOC) Flash Flood Track is a course that consists of approximately 12 hours of training material on topics that are relevant to flash flood warning decision-making. The Flash Flood Track consists of:
Topics covered by the on-line lessons include conceptual models of flash flood events, how to use a variety of flash flood forecasting tools, and best practices related to flash flood warning decision making, FFW text and polygonology, and enhanced wording for Flash Flood Emergencies. There are also 9 prerequisite lessons (all of which are from the Radar & Application Course) that students should complete prior to attempting the WOC Flash Flood Track.
The WOC Flash Flood Track includes a combination of learning technologies including web-based training, Weather Event Simulator - 2 (WES-2) simulations, and printed material. The course is designed to allow every NWS Forecaster (Meteorologist and Hydrologist) to participate with the assistance of an on-site facilitator (SOO, DOH, or locally appointed training officer). The Flash Flood Track content for NWS employees are tracked by the WOC on-site facilitator using the Commerce Learning Center (aka: the LMS).
The WOC Flash Flood Track is designed to improve the performance of NOAA’s NWS offices in issuing Flash Flood Warnings. For more information on the WOC Flash Flood Track implementation, please e-mail 
.
Click on the panels below to access the content for each topic of the course. For most lessons, there will be two ways to access the training materials:
The lesson content is the same for each link. NWS employees enrolled in the WOC Flash Flood Track should use the LMS Version to ensure they receive completion credit.
Brief Description: These pre-requisite materials (from the RAC) address learning objectives dealing with the identification of the characteristics, limitations and applications of several rainfall products, including the dual-pol products (QPE), legacy products (PPS), and the High-Resolution Precipitation Estimator (HPE). In addition, instruction is provided on mesoscale and storm-scale objectives, and meteorological variables related to precipitation rate and duration that contribute to the flash flood process.
Delivery Methods: Web modules
Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours
Brief Description: This module is a short presentation containing relevant details regarding the WOC Flash Flood Track. It discusses the origins of the course, its training goals, and the steps forecasters need to take to complete the course. The briefing also discusses the WFO Flash Flood Hydrology and Warning Operations Training national requirement and how that applies to WOC Flash Flood Track completion status in FY16.
Delivery Methods: Web modules
Approximate Completion Time: 10 minutes
Content:
Brief Description: These lessons will discuss various conceptual models related to flash flood events. The conceptual models are discussed in the framework of synoptic-scale patterns, ingredients-based methodology, and other physical mechanisms that can trigger flash floods.
Delivery Methods: Web modules
Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours
Content:
Brief Description: These five lessons discuss various tools that may be useful to forecasters when forecasting potential flash flood events. Some of these tools are web-based while others (e.g., average recurrence intervals) are tools available in AWIPS.
Delivery Methods: Web modules
Approximate Completion Time: 2.25 hours
Content:
Brief Description: These lessons discuss some basic best practices of issuing Flash Flood Warnings. Topics covered include how to pick an appropriate precipitation source for flash flood decision making; best practices related to FFMP, Flash Flood Warning polygonology, and text; and knowing when to use enhanced wording to indicate a Flash Flood Emergency.
Delivery Methods: Web modules
Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours
Content:
Brief Description: Students will apply WOC Flash Flood concepts in an operational context in a two part simulation of the 29-30 June 2014 event from NWS WFO-Des Moines. The first simulation application focuses on application of meteorological conceptual models and ingredients for a short-term forecast. The associated job-sheet covers material from synoptic-scale conceptual models to standardized anomalies and antecedent conditions. The second simulation application focuses on the warning decision making process regarding the use of FFMP and conveying the threat in Flash Flood Warning products in a displaced real-time (DRT) environment. We have provided three additional documents that help students and facilitators know more procedural details of these exercises.
Delivery Methods: Weather Event Simulator - 2 (WES-2) data was shipped with the initial WES-2 Bridge kits (in Sept 2015). Updated data, supplementary documentation, and WESSL-2 support scripts were shipped in late March 2016 to all offices with a WES-2 Bridge machine. NOTE: You must update to the 14.3.1 build of WES-2 Bridge in order to complete the simulations (this update was released in mid-March 2016).
Approximate Completion Time: 3 hours
Content:
The WDTD has developed a Flash Flood Warning Decision Tree to help forecasters follow the product issuance requirements laid out in NWS Directive 10-922.
Below is a list of all the SMEs that either assisted WDTD in developing the scope of the course or created lessons in the course:
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