Webinar: Integrated Inland & Coastal Flood Analysis

Webinar Recap:

Hosted By:
F. Warren McKinnie, PE, CFM, GISP
Senior Director of Industry Solutions

Cara Reichenbach, PE, CFM
Manager, Industry Solutions

Abstract:
Coastal communities rarely flood the same way twice. Rain arrives from inland, surge arrives from the coast, and the same neighborhood can be inundated by either. Yet most forecasting tools are built to model one mechanism or the other, leaving decision-makers to reconcile separate systems as a storm closes in.

This session examined the changes that occur when inland hydrology and coastal surge are modeled together. Join us as our team walks through the architecture of FloodWise^TM, a real-time flood forecasting system that continuously ingests rainfall, surge, and tide forecasts, routes them through the StormWise^TM hydrologic and hydraulic (H&H) numerical engine, and returns results to a dashboard that identifies flood risk at individual streets and structures.

Our team demonstrates the operational capabilities and value of the FloodWise^TM platform by simulating and evaluating multiple historical storm events. These hindcast analyses compare modeled system performance against observed conditions to assess forecast accuracy, evaluate model behavior, and illustrate the system's ability to support flood risk assessment and situational awareness.

At Cedar Key, a low-lying island community in the Big Bend served by a single evacuation route, Hurricane Idalia drove more than eight feet of surge across State Road 24. In Hillsborough County, Hurricane Milton delivered a rainfall event of historic magnitude, following Hurricane Helene's five to seven-foot surge in the coastal areas of the same watershed just weeks earlier. Each hindcast was measured against USGS gage records and county damage assessment points collected after the storm.

The results speak to a question communities face every hurricane season: how much can be known, and how early?

Across the three events, forecasts flagged specific roads and neighborhoods 24 to 72 hours before impact, with peak stages within inches of recorded gage readings. The session also examined a dimension often overlooked in surge modeling: how long water lingers after the peak recedes, and why that timeline governs when recovery crews can safely return.

Real-time flood forecasting is less a technology story than a decision story. Advance notice measured in days rather than hours changes what a community can do with the time it has, from evacuations and road closures to temporary flood protection, gate operations, and safeguarding critical facilities and county assets before the water arrives.

Watch the full recap to see how the forecasts performed and what integrated inland and coastal analysis makes possible for your community.