dataset · Global

River discharge and related forecasted data by the Global Flood Awareness System

This dataset provides an ensemble of forecast time series of gridded hydrological data. The data set is a product of the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) and offers a consistent representation of key hydrological variables across the global domain including: River discharge Soil wetness index (root zone) Snow water equivalent Runoff water equivalent (surface plus subsurface) Also provided are two ancillary files for interpretation, one containing upstream area data and the other containing

Visit source ↗

Source details

Licence: other

Evidence quality: 47.9

Listed in ewds public catalogue API on 2026-10-16; relevance/value screened (haiku).

Metadata checked: 2026-10-14T13:20:00.000Z

What's in it

Data offered docs-verified: River discharge · Soil wetness index (root zone) · Snow water equivalent · Runoff water equivalent (surface plus subsurface) · Elevation (ancillary file) · Upstream area (ancillary file)
Coverage docs-verified: Global except for Antarctica (90N-60S, 180W-180E) · 5 November 2019 to near real time (river discharge, operational version); soil wetness and snow from 28 February 2024
Resolution docs-verified: 0.05° x 0.05° spatial (version 4.0); 0.1° x 0.1° (version 3.1 and older); daily temporal
Update frequency docs-verified: Daily
Formats docs-verified: GRIB2 · NetCDF-4
Access docs-verified: CEMS-FLOODS datasets licence (terms not reproduced here); distributed via the EWDS

Useful for

Use cases llm-inferred: Indicative flow screening for ungauged catchments in flood risk assessments (FRA) · Antecedent catchment wetness context (soil wetness index) for drainage or flood modelling reviews · Upland snowmelt and runoff context for hydrology baseline reporting · Using upstream area and elevation ancillary files to match grid cells to river reaches
Audience llm-inferred: flood consultants · hydrologists · drainage engineers · GIS analysts

Limitations

Constraints llm-inferred: Gridded modelled output (LISFLOOD) and ensemble forecasts, not gauge observations · Grid cells of 0.05° or 0.1° are coarse for small catchments and need matching to river reaches · Antarctica excluded from the domain · Soil wetness and snow water equivalent start 28 February 2024, not 2019 · Legacy versions use 0.1° resolution and varying dates · Licence terms apply; EWDS login may be required

Evidence

Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.