Invited Commentary: Themes and Issues from the Workshop Operational River Flow and Water Supply Forecasting

River flow and water supply forecasting are important applications of hydrologic sciences. Water management decisions and the issuance of flood warnings depend greatly upon real-time predictions of hydrologic events to come. A group of over 70 hydrologic practitioners and researchers gathered for a workshop devoted to operational hydrologic forecasting, which was held in Vancouver, British Columbia, on 6-7 October 2011. The goal of the workshop was to share ideas about the applicability of new operational forecasting techniques. Presentations were given on topics such as ensemble forecasting, verification of deterministic and probabilistic forecasts, and quality control of environmental data. This commentary summarizes these presentations and provides highlights from the group and open forum discussions.