FLASH FLOOD PREDICTION PROGRAM
Forecast and Notification Products
The MHFD forecast products described below are designed to identify potential and imminent flood threats affecting the District. They are prepared by a private meteorological service. This flood prediction and notification service is known as the Flash Flood Prediction Program or F2P2. The program operates from May through September and has been serving the Denver/Boulder metropolitan area continuously since 1979.
HPO – Heavy Precipitation Outlook
This daily text product is available by 11 AM. The HPO provides a rain forecast for the District describing where storms are most likely. When the potential for flooding exists, this product is renamed Internal Message Status or IMS and will note the Message status for each District county (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson).
QPF – Quantitative Precipitation Forecast
This graphical product known as QPF-Max is updated multiple times daily. QPF-Max contains far more location-specific information than the HPO product. The previous text product discontinued in 2019 was only available on days when the one-hour rainfall potential exceeded 1.5 inches.
ST – Storm Track
This combination map/text product is a short-lead forecast showing where a storm has formed or is forming, the approximate size of the storm, the direction (or track) of the storm, and the estimated arrival times at points along the forecast track. This is probably the most anticipated product of the F2P2, but keep in mind that it is only available within an hour or less of storm impact. Also, the ST is not prepared for storms that do not pose a flood threat.
Messages
Standard messages are issued to warning points in each of the seven District counties. Dispatchers disseminate the information according to standard operating procedures unique to each jurisdiction.