Understanding Flash Floods Through Storm Tracking

HydroLearn_CIROH Understanding Flash Floods Through Storm Tracking This module introduces learners to storm tracking and the hydrologic connection between mesoscale convective systems and flash floods. View Course Problem Statement Flash floods are among the deadliest hydrometeorological hazards in the United States. A significant share of flash floods is driven by heavy rainfall from mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). The severity of the flood depends on the storm and on the watershed characteristics. Knowing how an MCS evolves, and how the watershed responds, is the basis for better hazard awareness, forecasting, and post-event analysis. Storm tracking matters because the difference between a forecast and an actionable warning is timing. Knowing where an MCS is now, how fast it is moving, and where its strongest cells are heading is what allows the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue flash flood warnings and what keeps emergency managers and the public oriented as a storm evolves. This module guides learners through a flash flood event in Iowa. They will trace the event from satellite and streamflow observations and explain how the storm shaped the flood impacts. Along the way, learners check their understanding as they progress through the module and tackle a complex real-life problem using the same satellite-based Earth observations that professionals and scientists commonly use in practice. At the end, they produce a short, public-facing summary of their findings. Module Overview Through the analysis of real-world flash flood events, learners will develop the skills needed to identify and characterize MCSs, evaluate the relationship between storm evolution and hydrologic response, and reconstruct flash flood events using meteorological and hydrologic observations. These skills will ultimately enable learners to communicate the causes, evolution, and impacts of flash flood disasters to a broader audience. Topics Covered Mesoscale convective systems. Storm tracking. Flash floods. Linking mesoscale convective systems to watershed response. Prerequisites Basic knowledge in remote sensing is highly desired. We recommend the following NASA module: Fundamentals of Remote Sensing . Description: In this self-paced course, you'll learn the underlying science behind how remote sensing works and the basic functional characteristics of satellites and sensors. You will explore the kinds of satellite remote sensing data that are available, advantages and disadvantages of remote sensing, and some basic tools to visualize data. By the end of the course, you'll be equipped to begin your journey using NASA's no-cost, open-access remote sensing data and resources. For familiarity with basic hydrology, we recommend the following HydroLearn module: Physical Hydrology . Description: Fundamentals of the hydrologic cycle and hydrologic processes. Precipitation, infiltration, runoff generation, evapotranspiration, and snowmelt. In addition, representation of hydrologic processes in hydrologic models. For basic Python programming experience, we recommend the following NASA course: Python Programming for Earth Science Researchers . Description: This website contains content for learning Python as an Earth Science researcher. It focuses on building core programming and computational skills that are applicable to researchers. StoryMap communication skills are useful and desirable, but they are not required to acquire the module's core knowledge: Getting Started with StoryMap . Description: This ArcGIS StoryMaps tutorial serves as an introductory guide designed to walk new users through the core features of the digital storytelling platform. The guide provides practical instructions on navigating the builder interface, assembling multimedia narratives with text and media blocks, and creating custom ExpressMaps directly within the interface. It provides a foundational roadmap for transforming data, maps, and multimedia into engaging, interactive web-based narratives. Learning Objectives At the end of this module, learners will be able to: Define mesoscale convective systems and flash floods, and describe how they are related. Identify, characterize, and analyze the life-cycle stages of an MCS using satellite data and an object-based tracking algorithm. Detect and characterize flash flood signatures in streamflow time series. Explain the link between MCS evolution, rainfall characteristics, and watershed response during flash floods. Describe the impacts of a flash flood event for a public-facing audience. This will be accomplished through the analysis of real-world flash flood events using data and tools provided in this module. Course Authors Vanessa Robledo IIHR Hydroscience & Engineering, University of Iowa vanessa-robledodelgado@uiowa.edu Delicious Rahman Kaba IIHR Hydroscience & Engineering, University of Iowa deliciousrahman-kaba@uiowa.edu Mohamed Abdelkader IIHR Hydroscience & Engineering, University of Iowa mohamed-abdelkader@uiowa.edu Course Mentors Humberto Vergara IIHR Hydroscience & Engineering, University of Iowa humberto-vergaraarrieta@uiowa.edu Potential Solutions Potential solutions (report, notebooks, and figures) for the learning activities are available in the HydroShare resource and can be requested from the course authors. Target Audience Senior undergraduate or graduate hydrology and environmental science courses, and early-career practitioners in operational forecasting. Tools Needed A computer with internet access and a HydroShare account. Expected Effort The module developers estimate that this module will take between 3 and 4 hours to complete. Course Sharing and Adaptation This course is available for export by clicking the "Export Link" at the top right of this page. You will need a HydroLearn instructor studio account to do this. First, sign up for a HydroLearn account. Then, register as an instructor by visiting HydroLearn Studio and requesting course creation permissions. Recommended Citation Robledo, V., Kaba, D. R., & Abdelkader, M. (2026). Understanding Flash Floods Through Storm Tracking . HydroLearn, CIROH. https://edx.hydrolearn.org/courses/course-v1:HydroLearn_CIROH+UIAHWA+2026_2/about . Acknowledgement Funding for this project was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), awarded to the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH) through the NOAA Cooperative Agreement with The University of Alabama, NA22NWS4320003. Vanessa Robledo was supported by NASA FINESST grant 80NSSC25K0649.