What forward-leaning State and Local agencies are doing to turn risk into readiness.
Most of us in public works know exactly what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration鈥檚 (NOAA) Atlas 14 is, where it is used and why it matters. What has changed lately is not the definition, it is the urgency.
Across jurisdictions, we are seeing the same trend: Flood risk is up, funding scrutiny is rising and legacy assumptions are hitting resistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reports that over 75% of federally declared disasters are flood-related, and NOAA鈥檚 latest data shows record-setting rainfall intensity increasing across several states.
So, it is no surprise that design criteria anchored in decades-old rainfall estimates are facing hard questions during permitting and public review. For teams navigating FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and local requirements, the gap between historical design standards and current expectations has never been more apparent.
That is where updated Atlas 14 data is reshaping workflows鈥攏ot in concept, but in practice.
A Familiar Tool, New Pressures
Atlas 14 has always been foundational, but recent updates and regulatory emphasis have made it non-negotiable in many contexts. Whether it is used to update a stormwater ordinance or justify capital investments, the message is clear: Designs that do not reflect this data face uphill battles鈥攅specially when tied to Federal funding.
In North Carolina, for example, several jurisdictions have already adjusted their stormwater management ordinances to explicitly require Atlas 14 integration. Fairfax County鈥檚 own guidelines mandate its use in culvert sizing and detention basin design. And in Texas, new flood risk mitigation plans are using Atlas 14 data as a baseline for grant applications under FEMA鈥檚 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program. The bottom line: If your designs are not grounded in this data, your funding case鈥攁nd your technical case鈥攃an be hard to defend.
With rainfall intensity trending higher across multiple regions, stormwater programs that once relied on 10- or 25-year benchmarks are now expected to model 50- and 100-year events鈥攐r even higher.
Design For What Is Likely, Defend Against What Is Possible
Colleagues across State and Local Government (SLG) are asking the same question: How can we use this data not just for box-checking, but for making better decisions? How do we defend design assumptions in permit review? How do we model flood events that reflect local topography and future rainfall patterns? How can we show that our Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) priorities align with resilience goals, rather than just meeting regulatory minimums?
That is where predictive modeling comes in. Teams using tools like Bentley OpenFlows Sewer or Bentley OpenFlows Storm are leveraging Atlas 14 as a referenced input to:
- Run scenario comparisons based on updated precipitation probabilities
- Assess cascading impacts across watershed and sewer networks
The result? Models that are both technically sound and strategically aligned鈥攚ith funding cycles, risk standards and permitting expectations.
Join Leading Experts to Learn More
But even with strong tools and solid data, the path forward is not always clear. We have heard from agencies weighing how to phase in new standards across legacy systems, how to navigate inconsistencies between State and Federal expectations and how to model flood risk in a way that resonates with both engineers and elected officials.
It is time to take a practical look at how SLG agencies are integrating Atlas 14 into their workflows, especially as new standards and funding opportunities continue to evolve.
on November 13, 2025, to learn more.
If your team is mapping out what is next鈥攐r preparing to defend the next infrastructure request鈥攖his session will offer insight into what is working across the sector.
Conclusion
We do not need to be convinced of the value of Atlas 14. We use it every day. But as expectations shift and standards evolve, how we apply it matters more than ever.
This is not about reintroducing the data. It is about strengthening the decisions built on it.
Join us for Bentley and 探花视频鈥檚 webinar, 鈥淔uture-Proofing Flood Modeling: Meeting Today鈥檚 Federal Standards and Tomorrow鈥檚 Flood Risks,鈥� on November 13, 2025.
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