This month, we’re spreading the word about international hydropower needs and challenges, sharing a HydroForecast case study from recent extreme flooding, and reflecting on what the low snow year means for spring runoff and ongoing drought. Here's a look at what's new for May:
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Wanna join this team? We're looking for an Account Executive to help us bring AI-powered streamflow forecasting to more hydropower operators and water managers across North America. Please get in touch if you or someone you know is a driven sales professional with experience in energy or water resources and enterprise sales.
Read the full job description.
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After an unusual snow year, we looked at what the low snowpack means in different regions as operators navigate uncertain spring runoff. While the Pacific Northwest shows a solid snowpack, elevation-based variation presents complex water management challenges.
Our team is collaborating with customers to optimize HydroForecast for these unique hydrologic conditions. Denver Water’s Taylor Winchell noted in a recent roundtable discussion that understanding “streamflow forecasts are an extremely important component of our planning toolkit… and with that, it’s important to understand snowpack dynamics, soil moisture, and total precipitation — like what is behind HydroForecast.”
Drought is also expanding in the Southeast, where rainfall variability hits faster due to a lack of snowpack buffer. Our seasonal models excel at capturing these dry spells, helping managers allocate resources more effectively before drought impacts peak. Read more
IHA recently welcomed Upstream Tech to the community focused on sustainable hydropower generation. With forecasts in over 18 countries, each deployment is tailored to the specific characteristics of each basin, market, and offers its dashboard in multiple languages to support international operators.
“Sustainable hydropower isn't just about building new capacity – it’s about operating existing assets as intelligently as possible. Better inflow forecasting directly reduces spills, improves generation efficiency, and helps operators manage safety and flood and trading risks. I'm proud to work on technology that contributes to the renewable transition in a practical, measurable way, and joining IHA feels like a natural home for that work." - Matt Elgin, European Lead & Senior Account Executive, Upstream Tech.
One of the biggest challenges in the energy transition is "the renewable paradox," where extreme weather increases the volatility of clean energy technologies, including flexible hydropower. Alex Truby from the HydroForecast team recently told Euronews that the low snowpack in Norway highlights this shift, as European hydropower becomes more variable due to precipitation patterns shifting to rain instead of snow.
This has left Norway, Europe's "biggest battery," with its lowest snow reserves in two decades, creating an energy deficit large enough to power 2.5 million homes for a year. To adapt, the article points to: "Better seasonal and short-term forecasts, increased storage capacity, and improvements to the grid, which will help move renewable energy across regions." Read the article
We recently spoke with International Water Power about how HydroForecast helped dam operators balance flood risk and reservoir operations during December 2025’s unprecedented atmospheric river events.
“HydroForecast began flagging elevated inflow risk up to ten days before the first peaks arrived, well before most public river forecasts were showing anything unusual,” explains Alden Keefe Sampson, Chief Technology Officer at Upstream Tech. “Our model was picking up on a combination of factors: the region had been in severe drought, so the landscape was primed to absorb a lot of water quickly, but once that capacity was exhausted, runoff would accelerate fast.” Read the article
To connect with our team, check out our full list of upcoming events, or reach out to us below to learn more about HydroForecast.
Cheers,
The HydroForecast Team
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