Road Weather Management Program
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Welcome to Road Weather Management

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Weather-Responsive Management Strategies (WRMS) for Flood Management in Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska

Weather-Responsive Management Strategies (WRMS) can mitigate the impact of flooding events through preparation and prediction efforts that leverage and build data, tools, and relationships.  As a result, agencies are better equipped for response and recovery efforts. This case study highlights the experiences and lessons learned from the Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska DOTs while managing major flood events in the Missouri River basin, resulting in both similar and different approaches and experiences given the various agency relationships and resources available for flood management.

2019 Road Weather Management Performance Measures Update

The FHWA has published the 2019 Road Weather Management Performance Measures Update. The FHWA Road Weather Management Program assesses its progress toward meeting programmatic objectives through established performance measures. Assessments have been completed and documented in 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2017, and this update is the next iteration of this periodic review.

Automated Vehicles and Adverse Weather Final Report

With recent advancements in automated vehicle (AV) technology, FHWA is exploring AV needs, opportunities, and potential shortcomings during adverse weather conditions. This report summarizes how adverse weather and road weather conditions affect vehicle sensors and perception systems and how drivers react to or take back control from their vehicles, by discussing the relationship between weather and AV performance. It is intended to inform the USDOT research and development agenda, State and local transportation agency operational and maintenance strategies, and create awareness among private sector developers and designers on effects of adverse weather on AV operations. This project investigated how adverse weather and road weather conditions affects automated vehicles in three ways: 1) a literature review, 2) two experiments to observe the performance of AVs and their sensor systems under controlled conditions, and 3) three listening sessions with stakeholders. The Final Report captures the results of the project.

Guidelines for Deploying CV-Enabled WRTM Strategies

The Road Weather Management Program and the ITS Joint Program Office published a document titled Guidelines for Deploying Connected Vehicle-Enabled Weather Responsive Traffic Management Strategies (PDF 5MB). The document provides useful information for transportation agencies on how they can incorporate road weather connected vehicle data for traffic management operations and decision-making.

Road Weather Management Capability Maturity Framework (Workshop and Tool)

Transportation agencies can avail of a facilitated workshop and/or use the electronic tool on their own to conduct Road Weather Management Capability Maturity assessments. The Capability Maturity Framework workshop and electronic tool will evaluate the agency's ability to effectively manage operations during adverse weather conditions. When the existing capability levels are determined, a list of concrete actions is created for agencies to raise their capabilities to the desired levels. To schedule a workshop, contact David Johnson at David.Johnson@dot.gov or 202-366-1201.

Weather Data Environment (WxDE)

The FHWA Road Weather Management Program's Weather Data Environment collects, quality checks, and disseminates atmospheric and road weather observations through a map interface, on-demand requests, and subscriptions. Observations are collected from departments of transportation's Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) fixed and transportable Environmental Sensor Stations (ESS) and from mobile sources with external road weather sensors. A WxDE Flyer is available and the system is located at https://wxde.fhwa.dot.gov.

Publications Available

Additional Listing of Road Weather Management Program Publications

The Road Weather Management Program seeks to better understand the safety and mobility impacts of weather on roadways, and promote strategies and tools to mitigate those impacts. More timely, accurate and relevant information about these weather-related impacts to the roads enables transportation managers and travelers to make more effective decisions.

Web-Based Course/Training

  • Road Weather Management Web-Based Courses - Road Weather Management Web-Based Courses - The courses provided by the Consortium for ITS Training and Education (CITE) is being transitioned to the National Highway Institute (NHI). When the transition is complete, new training information will be updated here.
  • NWS Web-Based Training - FHWA and the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training have developed a web-based training course for road weather management staff to learn about National Weather Service products, forecasts and warnings.

PDF files can be viewed with the Acrobat® Reader®.
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