Mudflows are among the most dangerous natural hazards, and their destructive impact continues to increase as mountain regions become more intensively developed. Various methods are employed for mudflow control, among which forecasting occupies an important place. However, no truly effective mudflow forecasting methods currently exist. This is particularly true for glacial mudflows, which, in many mountain regions, constitute the dominant type of mudflow and are associated with the greatest destructive potential. The present guide is intended to facilitate background forecasting of glacial mudflows through the automated integrated interpretation of hydrometeorological and other data characterizing mudflow hazard conditions using electronic computers. The results of this interpretation are presented in the form of temporal curves of mudflow hazard indicators for the serviced region. The advantages of the proposed method include the use of standard hydrometeorological information, high operational efficiency, ease of implementation, and the objectivity and high accuracy of the resulting forecasts. This guide contains an example of the development and application of a background forecasting method for glacial mudflows in a specific mountainous region, the Trans-Ili Alatau Range, one of the most mudflow-prone areas of the former Soviet Union. In this case, the reliability of distinguishing between mudflow-hazardous and non-hazardous situations is approximately 90%. The principal tool used for interpreting data characterizing mudflow hazard is a topological pattern-recognition method implemented in the software package known as “Poisk” (“Search”). The use of this program requires a set of forecasting-network parameters and a collection of reliable descriptions of both mudflow-hazardous and non-hazardous situations based on these parameters; these descriptions serve as reference standards. The “Search” program also makes it possible to evaluate simultaneously the quality of the selected parameters and the reference standards. Moreover, as operational experience with the program accumulates or as specialized scientific investigations are conducted, the combinations of parameters and standards used in forecasting can be expanded. This guide is intended for regional administrations of the USSR State Committee for Hydrometeorology and other organizations responsible for providing mudflow hazard forecasts. The proposed method can be applied in all regions where glacial mudflows occur and does not duplicate any previously known mudflow forecasting schemes. The guide consists of three chapters. Chapter 1 sets out the methodological foundations of background forecasting for glacial mudflows, identifies the principal characteristics of glacial mudflow situations, and provides recommendations for selecting forecasting parameters and reference situations. It also presents the principal approaches for analyzing available data and interpreting the results obtained. Chapter 2 provides an example of the application of the proposed background forecasting method in the Trans-Ili Alatau Mountains. It describes the development of the method, the techniques used in its implementation, its capabilities, and the practical difficulties encountered during operational application. A forecasting scheme for a specific region is also presented. Chapter 3 describes the mathematical support of the proposed method. Its foundation is the “Search” pattern-recognition program, which at the time was compatible with BESM-4, M-222, Minsk-32, BESM-6, and SM-4 computers and was being adapted for the ES series of computers. The development of the background forecasting method for glacial mudflows was carried out within the framework of a cooperative agreement between the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Geophysical Methods of the USSR Ministry of Geology and the Institute of Geography of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR. The method was jointly developed by Yu. V. Khomenyuk and P. A. Plekhanov. The work was conducted under the methodological guidance and with the participation of G. A. Tokmagambetov. The mathematical support for the method was developed by Yu. V. Khomenyuk and A. B. Maksimov. In November 1982, the results of the development of the glacial mudflow background forecasting method were presented and approved at the All-Union Symposium on the Geoecology of Mountainous Deserts and Semi-Deserts of Continental Interiors, held in Alma-Ata, as well as at a meeting of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Kazakhstan Mudflow Protection Administration under the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.