ALERT System

The District operates and maintains a network of real-time sensors used to collect hydrometeorlogical data. This network provides information to the District and other agencies about precipitation, stormwater runoff, and weather conditions affecting watersheds within Pima County.   View SENSOR DATA .   Data is provided for both current and recent historical periods.   To find out more about this technology visit the Southwest Association of ALERT Systems site.

ALERT System
Currently, the District's ALERT system consists of a fully automated network of 84 precipitation sensors, 30 stream stage sensors, and four weather stations operating in eastern Pima County and adjoining counties. ALERT (the acronym stands for Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time) is a data reporting format that was developed by the National Weather Service for efficient collection of hydrometeorological data in real-time. ALERT system precipitation sensors are event driven and transmit data collected to base station computers at the District's office and the Tucson National Weather Service office. Event driven real-time transmission, means that transmission of data occurs immediately as data is collected on-site. This differs from other systems that collect and transmit data on a timed basis. Most of the system's stream-stage and weather sensors operate in this manner and transmit information when a pre-specified amount-of-change has been reached. Data collected by the ALERT system is used by the National Weather Service to ground-truth radar determined rainfall estimates and to assist in issuing flood watches and warnings. ALERT data is important to the District because heavy precipitation can significantly affect many at-grade road crossings in the county as well as various flood control structures and other improvements. Data is also useful in reconstructing storm events and is thus of interest to a wide range of public and private users. The links below provide more information about the District's ALERT sensor network and the data collected. Station and Sensor Metadata  (sensor name, type and location ) About Sensor Data
Related Links
	Tucson National Weather Service Radar USGS Surface Water Data for Arizona

 

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