Introduction

Abstract

Hydrometeorological forecasts are used in a wide range of applications such as early warning systems, reservoir operations, pollution control and river basin management. Typically meteorological observations and forecasts are used as inputs to hydrological models, whose outputs are then processed into a range of products tailored to operational needs. Increasingly this includes estimates for the uncertainty in forecasts, based on probabilistic techniques. This chapter presents a general introduction to these topics including developing areas such as seasonal forecasting and risk-based approaches to decision-making.