CIROH, a partnership between NOAA and The University of Alabama, is a national consortium committed to advancing water prediction – the forecasting of streamflow entering water systems, extreme events such as floods and droughts, and water quality – and building community resilience to water-related challenges. CIROH scientists, from 28 different institutions—academic, government, and private, work to improve the understanding of hydrologic processes, operational hydrologic forecasting techniques and workflows, community water modeling, translation of forecasts to actionable products, and use of water predictions in decision making.
Goals
Research Leader
Advance research and leadership in support of NOAA’s Office of Water Prediction mission to: “collaboratively research, develop and deliver state-of-the science national hydrologic analyses, forecast information, data, guidance, and equitable decision-support services to inform essential emergency management and water resources decisions across all time scales;”
Knowledge Mobilizer
Reinforce the NWS National Water Center’s mission to “promote collaboration across the scientific community, serving as both a catalyst to accelerate the transition of research into operations and a center of excellence for water resources science, information, and prediction services;” and
Community Catalyst
Strengthen communities of practice to synthesize a new generation of interdisciplinary and innovative research products, education, and outreach supporting NOAA’s vision of a water- and weather-ready nation.
CIROH IN THE NEWS
Through the Lens of Hurricane Helene: Water-R2O Students Explore Hydrology in Action
Sept 22, 2026
By: Ryan Ruiz
University of Alabama Water-R2O NRT students traveled across the Southeast to explore Hurricane Helene as a case study in operational hydrology. From flood forecasting and dam safety to emergency management and recovery, the study tour gave students a firsthand look at how water science supports real-world decisions and communities.
CIROH Visiting Scholars Program Creates Lifelong Collaboration
Aug 13, 2026
By: Riley Baird
The CIROH Visiting Scholars Program provided Dr. Mohamed Fathi Said and Dr. Wei Zhang with everything they needed to learn about hydroclimatic whiplash. Through their research collaboration with Dr. Mukesh Kumar, high-performance computing resources and plenty of uninterrupted coding time, these visiting scholars impacted hydrologic forecasting and created a lifelong friendship and collaboration.
CIROH Community Resources Advance Water Modeling
Aug 10, 2026
By: Riley Baird
CIROH community resources allow students, researchers and water professionals to access, share and improve on existing work. Whether it is a model like NextGen In A Box, a presentation, published paper or notebook, open-source assets remain critical for the future of water resources modeling in a consortium made up by diverse fields, talents and careers.
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