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Advanced Applications of HEC-HMS (June 2025)
Date: 23-27 June 2025
Location: USACE Hydrologic Engineering Center, Davis, CA
Course #: 369-2
The course covers a variety of areas that go beyond the Basic HEC-HMS course which focuses on event-based flood hydrology. This course contains modules on continuous simulation, including the details of modeling water content in the soil, evaporation and transpiration, and details of the components included in HEC-HMS for representing these processes. This course also contains modules on model calibration and validation, snow processes and snowmelt modeling, parameter optimization, uncertainty analysis, modeling frequency and hypothetical storms, and ensemble analysis. A final project is included that ties together the various lecture and workshop topics that were introduced throughout the week.
The following table provides links to all lectures and workshop pages located in the HEC-HMS Tutorials and Guides space. All workshop files can be downloaded from the workshops pages as well. Finally, all PowerPoint files are included below and can be downloaded for reference.
Blackboard Link: https://usace.llc.army.mil//
Quizizz Link: joinmyquiz.com
Course Materials
Lectures: Lectures.zip
Instructors:
- Melissa Mika (Coordinator): Mika_bio_2025_Prospect.pdf
- Mike Bartles: Bartles_bio_2025_Prospect.pdf
- Daniel Black: Black_bio_2024_Prospect.pdf
- Tom Brauer: Brauer_bio_2024_Prospect.pdf
- Lauren Coe: Coe_bio_2025_Prospect.pdf
- Greg Karlovits: Karlovits_bio_2024_Prospect.pdf
- Nick Van: Van_bio_2024_Prospect.pdf
Required Software
We will be using the following software throughout the week. Please download from the following links to a directory such as C:\Programs (not C:\Users or the Desktop).
- HEC-HMS 4.13 Beta 6 (https://www.hec.usace.army.mil/software/hec-hms/downloads.aspx)
- HEC-DSSVue 3.4.15 (https://www.hec.usace.army.mil/software/hec-dssvue/downloads.aspx)
- HEC-SSP 2.3.1 Beta 1 (https://www.hec.usace.army.mil/software/hec-ssp/download.aspx)
- (optional) Calibration App (https://github.com/HydrologicEngineeringCenter/calibration-app/releases/download/v1.0.1/calibration-app-1.0.1-win-x64.zip)
Monday (23 June 2025)
Time (PDT) | Duration (min) | Topic | Instructors | Links to Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 - 9:00 | 60 | Intro/Pre-Test | ||
| 9:00 - 10:00 | 60 | Lecture 1: Model Calibration and Validation Explanation of model calibration versus model validation. Discussion of techniques and statistical metrics used to evaluate model performance. | ||
| 10:00 - 10:15 | 15 | Break | ||
| 10:15 - 11:15 | 60 | Workshop 1: Calibrating and Validating a Single Event Model Practice calibrating single event models and explore different calibration techniques. Validate a model to independent events using parameters from model calibration. | Calibrating and Validating a Single Event Model | |
| 11:15 - 11:30 | 15 | Review | ||
| 11:30 - 12:30 | 60 | Lunch | ||
| 12:30 - 13:15 | 45 | Lecture 2: Continuous Simulation Methodologies Explanation of differences between event and continuous simulation. Description of the soil moisture accounting and deficit constant methods that can be used for continuous simulation. | ||
| 13:15 - 14:00 | 45 | Lecture 3: Evapotranspiration Explanation of the physical process of plant water use and approaches to simulating evapotranspiration. Discussion of the importance of evapotranspiration in the water balance over long time periods, the methods available in HEC-HMS for modeling ET. | ||
| 14:00 - 16:30 | 135 | Workshop 2: Calibrating a Continuous Simulation Model Practice calibrating continuous simulation models. Explore the effect of different methods for representing evapotranspiration. | Calibrating a Continuous Simulation Model | |
| 15 | Break (taken any time during the workshop) | |||
| 16:30 – 16:45 | 15 | Review | ||
| 16:45 – 17:00 | 15 | Lecture 4: Case Study of a Continuous Simulation Model for the Russian River Watershed Discussion of the application of HEC-HMS to the Russian River Forecast Informed Reservoir Operation (FIRO) study and how the HEC-HMS model was developed and calibrated. | ||
| Class Happy Hour at Woodstock's |
Tuesday (24 June 2025)
Time (PDT) | Duration (min) | Topic | Instructors | Links to Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 - 8:45 | 45 | Lecture 5: Gridded Data Import and Manipulation Discussion of gridded data sources. Downloading, importing, and using within HEC-HMS are also discussed. | ||
| 08:45 - 09:30 | 45 | Workshop 3: Downloading and Importing Gridded Data Download and import gridded data. Use gridded data within an HEC-HMS project. Extract a subbasin-average time-series from a gridded time-series. | Downloading, Importing, and Processing Gridded Data | |
| 09:30 - 09:45 | 15 | Break | ||
| 09:45 - 10:30 | 45 | Workshop 4: Manipulating Gridded Data Use the Normalizer tool to create a normalized precipitation grid that captures the temporal variability of one gridded dataset but the cumulative volume of another gridded dataset. Use the Grid To Point tool to calculate subbasin-averaged SWE from SWE grids. | ||
| 10:30 - 10:45 | 15 | Review | ||
| 10:45 - 11:45 | 60 | Lecture 6: Snow Hydrology and Data Brief history of snowmelt/accumulation modeling. Explanation of the physical processes at work during snow fall and pack accumulation. Discussion of the role of ripening and pack melt. Introduction to the types of atmospheric data required for snow modeling. Discussion of methodologies used to collect information about the snowpack. Sources of data and appropriate processing procedures. | ||
| 11:45 - 12:45 | 60 | Lunch | ||
| 12:45 - 13:45 | 60 | Lecture 7: Snowmelt Modeling Methodologies Introduction to the temperature index, hybrid, and energy budget snow modeling methods along with guidance on parameter estimation. Discussion of parameter calibration techniques, optimization, and uncertainty. | ||
| 13:45 - 15:00 | 75 | Workshop 5: Point Snowmelt Calibration Review atmospheric data and prepare a Meteorologic model for use with all available snow modeling methods in HEC-HMS. Become familiar with the available snow modeling methods using a point watershed. Calibrate using data from a SNOTEL. | Calibrating Point Snowmelt: Swamp Angel Study Plot, Colorado | |
| 15:00 - 15:15 | 15 | Review | ||
| 15:15 - 15:30 | 15 | Break | ||
| 15:30 - 16:45 | 75 | Workshop 6: Gridded Snowmelt Calibration Become familiar with the available snow modeling methods using a gridded watershed. Calibrate using SNODAS data. | ||
| 16:45 - 17:00 | 15 | Review |
Wednesday (25 June 2025)
Time (PDT) | Duration (min) | Topic | Instructors | Links to Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 - 08:45 | 45 | Lecture 8: Case Study of a Gridded Snowmelt Model for the Columbia River Watershed Discussion of the application of HEC-HMS to the Columbia River study and how the HEC-HMS model was developed and calibrated for a multi-million dollar study which evaluated alternative reservoir operation scenarios within the Columbia River watershed. | ||
| 08:45 - 09:45 | 60 | Lecture 9: Reservoir Modeling Methodologies Modeling reservoirs using the HMS Reservoir element, including specified releases, outflow curves, outflow structures, rule-based reservoir routing, and sedimentation. | ||
| 09:45 - 10:00 | 15 | Break | ||
| 10:00 - 11:30 | 90 | Workshop 7: Modeling Reservoir Operations within HEC-HMS Utilize multiple Reservoir options to simulate reservoir storage, elevation, and releases. | Introduction to Modeling Reservoir Operations with HEC-HMS
If time allows: | |
| 11:30 - 11:45 | 15 | Review | ||
| 11:45 - 12:45 | 60 | Lunch | ||
| 12:45 - 13:30 | 45 | Lecture 10: Model Optimization Methodologies Understanding model optimization using HEC-HMS, including the Simplex and Differential Evolution search methods, strategies for effective optimization, parameter estimation, and flood maximization. | ||
| 13:30 - 14:45 | 75 | Workshop 8: Model Parameter Optimization Use the Simplex and Differential Evolution options to optimize model parameters. | Start with Simplex and complete both if time allows. Applying Simplex and Differential Evolution Optimization to Single Event Calibration | |
| 14:45 - 15:00 | 15 | Review | ||
| 15:00 - 15:45 | 45 | Lecture 11: Model Uncertainty Methodologies Describe various sources of uncertainty in hydrologic modeling results and ways in which they can be quantified using the Uncertainty Analysis within HEC-HMS. | ||
| 15:45 - 16:00 | 15 | Break | ||
| 16:00 - 17:00 | 60 | Lecture 12: Optimization and Uncertainty Analysis Case Study - Optimization and Transposition of Historical Storms Use of the HEC-HMS Optimization Trial and Uncertainty Analysis for exploring the flood impacts of real storms using a what-if approach. |
Thursday (26 June 2025)
Time (PDT) | Duration (min) | Topic | Instructors | Links to Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 - 09:30 | 90 | Workshop 9: Application of the HEC-HMS Uncertainty Analysis Compute Option Use the Uncertainty Analysis to explore uncertainty in outputs that are due to various hydrologic process. | Applying the Uncertainty Analysis Compute Option in HEC-HMS | |
| 09:30 - 09:45 | 15 | Review | ||
| 09:45 - 10:15 | 30 | Lecture 13: Ensemble Analysis Present the Ensemble Analysis along with example applications. Describe goals and outputs of a typical Ensemble Analysis. | ||
| 10:15 - 10:30 | 15 | Break | ||
| 10:30 - 11:00 | 30 | Demo: Ensemble Analysis | Ensemble Analysis in HEC-HMS | |
| 11:00 - 12:00 | 60 | Lecture 14: Frequency and Hypothetical Storm Methodologies in HEC-HMS Discuss hypothetical and frequency storm precipitation methods in the HEC-HMS Meteorologic Models. Investigate storm area, temporal patterns and other critical components. | ||
| Class Photo | ||||
| 12:00 - 13:00 | 60 | Lunch | ||
| 13:00 - 13:45 | 45 | Workshop 10: Frequency Storms Use the Depth-Area Analysis to develop flow-frequency curves at multiple locations. Also, develop custom depth-area reduction curves and compare against those from NOAA Atlas 2. | Applying the Frequency Storm Met Model in HEC-HMS | |
| 13:45 - 14:00 | 15 | Review | ||
| 14:00 - 15:00 | 60 | Workshop 11: Hypothetical Storms Use the Hypothetical Storm option in order to estimate flow-frequency at various points of interest. Utilize multiple temporal and spatial distribution patterns. | Applying the Hypothetical Storm Met Model in HEC-HMS | |
| 15:00 - 15:15 | 15 | Review | ||
| 15:15 - 15:30 | 15 | Final Project: Calibrate, Validate, and Apply a Complex Model This final workshop combines information from all lessons and workshops and gives you another chance to calibrate, validate, and apply an HEC-HMS project. | Advanced Applications of HEC-HMS Final Project | |
| 15:30 - 15:45 | 15 | Break | ||
| 15:45 - 17:00 | 75 | Final Project Working Session |
Friday (27 June 2025)
Time (PDT) | Duration (min) | Topic | Instructors | Links to Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:00 - 10:00 | 120 | Final Project Working Session | ||
| 10:00 - 10:30 | 30 | Finish and Submit Final Project Post-Test/End of Course Questionnaire | ||
| 10:30 - 11:00 | 30 | Final Project Review/Wrap-Up | ||
| 11:00 - 12:00 | 60 | Closing Activities |