Service assessment

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
National Weather Service (NWS)

"During the winter and spring of 2010-2011, record to near-record setting snow fell across a large portion of the northern United States Rocky Mountains and eastward into the Northern Plains states. A cool spring held the snowpack in place later than usual, and a fairly rapid melt off of the snow eventually coincided with record-setting rains in May and early June over Montana and western North Dakota. This untimely combination of events caused record river levels and extensive flooding in the Missouri and Souris River basins from June through August. Extensive damage occurred to numerous cities, including Minot, North Dakota, which incurred flood damage to around one-third of its homes. States up and down the Missouri basin - from Montana to Missouri - were also impacted by this flood event. Due to the magnitude and impact of this event, and its temporal and spatial extent, a biregional Service Assessment Team was formed to examine the effectiveness of services provided during this event. Included in this is the decision support services provided to key decision makers and the public, with special attention given to National Weather Service (NWS) coordination of information with other federal, state, and local entities"--Preface.