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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...PART 1 OF A 2-PART MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
200 PM EST THU FEB 9 1995
TO - FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER WIRE
SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
/NWS/ PRODUCT USERS...NWS EMPLOYEES
FROM - DONALD R. WERNLY...CHIEF...WARNING AND FORECAST BRANCH
SUBJECT - FORMAT CHANGES FOR SHORT-TERM FORECASTS
...PART 1 OF A 2-PART MESSAGE...
THE PURPOSE OF THIS LETTER IS TO LET YOU KNOW OF FORMAT CHANGES
THE NWS WILL MAKE TO THE SHORT-TERM FORECAST PRODUCT BEGINNING
FEBRUARY 22...1995. THE GENERAL PRODUCT IDENTIFIER CATEGORY IS -
NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ - NOW -- FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ -
FXUS21. YOUR LOCAL NWS OFFICE WILL PROVIDE SPECIFIC PRODUCT
IDENTIFIERS FOR YOUR LOCATION. ALTHOUGH THOSE OFFICES ISSUING SHORT-
TERM FORECASTS BY THE IMPLEMENTATION DATE ARE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW THE
NEW FORMAT...SOME HAVE ALREADY BEGUN USING THE NEW FORMAT. ALSO...
SOME OFFICES ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN ISSUING THE PRODUCT LATER THIS YEAR
OR WHEN NEW TECHNOLOGY BECOMES AVAILABLE TO THEM. AS NEW OFFICES
BEGIN PARTICIPATING IN THIS PROGRAM...THEY WILL ISSUE APPROPRIATE
INFORMATION STATEMENTS PROVIDING DETAILS IN ADVANCE OF IMPLEMENTATION.
OTHER THAN TO ENSURE RECEIPT OF SHORT-TERM FORECASTS BY USE OF
APPROPRIATE IDENTIFIERS...USERS NEED NOT MAKE CHANGES TO THEIR
OPERATIONS TO RECEIVE AN NWS OFFICE/S ENTIRE SHORT-TERM FORECAST
PRODUCT. USERS MAY...HOWEVER...MAKE USE OF THE ADDITIONAL DELIMITERS
IN THE NEW FORMAT FOR MORE SPECIFIC PROCESSING OF ONLY THE MOST
DESIRED PARTS OF THE PRODUCT. IN PROVIDING MUCH OF THE SHORT-TERM
WEATHER INFORMATION FOR A LOCAL AREA...THE SHORT-TERM FORECAST WILL
CAUSE CHANGES TO OTHER PRODUCTS THAT USED TO PROVIDE SHORT-TERM
INFORMATION. THESE ALSO ARE DESCRIBED BELOW.
A KEY FACTOR IN THE EARLY STAGE OF NWS/S MODERNIZATION AND
ASSOCIATED RESTRUCTURING IS MEETING STATED USER NEEDS FOR MORE
ACCURATE AND TIMELY SHORT-TERM WEATHER AND FLOOD INFORMATION. TO
FULFILL THIS REQUIREMENT...THE NWS HAS ENTERED INTO AN AGGRESSIVE
SHORT-TERM FORECAST PROGRAM. YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED SHORT-TERM
FORECASTS ISSUED FROM MORE AND MORE LOCAL NWS OFFICES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY IN RECENT MONTHS. THE SHIFT IN EMPHASIS IS TOWARD PROVIDING A
TRUE FORECAST...NOT JUST A SUMMARY OF PAST CONDITIONS. THESE
FORECASTS ARE DESIGNED TO TELL PEOPLE BRIEFLY WHAT THE WEATHER WILL BE
IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS IN NON-TECHNICAL...PLAIN LANGUAGE THAT CAN BE
EASILY UNDERSTOOD. THE GOAL IS TO ISSUE THESE PRODUCTS FREQUENTLY
ENOUGH...DEPENDING ON AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY AND ADEQUATE OFFICE
RESOURCES...TO ENSURE THAT THEY ACCURATELY REFLECT THE ONGOING
WEATHER.
THE SHORT-TERM FORECAST PROGRAM HAS BEEN EXPERIMENTAL THE PAST
COUPLE OF YEARS WITH GUIDELINES ALLOWING DIFFERING FORMATS...WITH
DIFFERING KINDS AND PRIORITY OF INCLUDED INFORMATION. REGARDLESS OF
FORMATS...FORECASTERS HAVE BEEN USING DATA FROM ENHANCED OBSERVING
TOOLS...WHEREVER AVAILABLE...TO PROVIDE INCREASINGLY ACCURATE AND
TIMELY PRODUCTS. ALONG WITH TRADITIONAL DATA SOURCES...THESE NEW
TOOLS INCLUDE DOPPLER RADAR...AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVING
SYSTEMS...UPGRADED SATELLITE INFORMATION...LIGHTNING DETECTION SYSTEMS
AND PROFILER NETWORKS THAT PROVIDE UPPER LEVEL WIND INFORMATION.
THE NWS CAN NOW PROVIDE FURTHER CONSISTENCY IN THE FORMAT AND
CONTENT OF THE SHORT-TERM FORECAST PRODUCTS THROUGH LESSONS LEARNED
DURING THIS EXTENDED EXPERIMENTAL PERIOD. THESE LESSONS CAME FROM
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS AND VALUABLE FEEDBACK FROM MANY
USERS...INCLUDING MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES FROM RADIO...TELEVISION AND
CABLE FACILITIES...AND PRIVATE METEOROLOGISTS AND EMERGENCY MANAGERS.
WE FULLY EXPECT THAT THE PRODUCT WILL CONTINUE TO EVOLVE THROUGH
FURTHER INTERACTION WITH OUR USERS AND ADDITIONAL ADVANCES IN
FORECASTING TECHNIQUES.
FOLLOWING ARE HOW SOME OTHER PRODUCTS THAT USED TO PROVIDE SHORT-
TERM INFORMATION WILL BE HANDLED BECAUSE OF THE INTRODUCTION OF THE
SHORT-TERM FORECAST PRODUCT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT /NWWS IDENTIFIER - SPS
FOS IDENTIFIER - WWUS35
OFFICES ISSUING SHORT-TERM FORECASTS WILL NOT NORMALLY ISSUE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS TO DESCRIBE SHORT-TERM WEATHER INFORMATION.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENTS WILL CONTINUE TO BE USED TO UPDATE
LONGER-TERM EVENTS SUCH AS FOLLOWUPS TO WINTER OR NON-PRECIPITATION
WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY PRODUCTS...IN SITUATIONS WHERE SOME EXPLANATION
OR TECHNICAL REASONING IS NEEDED INCLUDING ADDING CALLS TO ACTION
STATEMENTS...TO PROVIDE SUMMARY INFORMATION OR TO CLEAR COUNTIES FROM
A CONVECTIVE WATCH.
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT/ NWWS - SVS -- FOS - WWUS34
FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT/ NWWS - FFS -- FOS - RWUS32
MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT/ NWWS - MWS -- FOS - FZUS60
THESE PRODUCTS ISSUED FROM OFFICES ISSUING SHORT-TERM FORECASTS
SHOULD BE LIMITED TO BRIEF INFORMATION FOLLOWING SPECIFIC SHORT-TERM
WARNINGS AND REPORTED SEVERE WEATHER.
RADAR NARRATIVE SUMMARY/ NWWS - RNS -- FOS - SDXX1
THIS PRODUCT...THAT PROVIDES RECENT PAST MOVEMENT OF RADAR
ECHOES...IS NOT A FORECAST AND IS BEING PHASED OUT AS OFFICES BEGIN
ISSUING THE MORE USEFUL SHORT-TERM FORECAST FOR THE SAME AREAS.
END OF PART 1 OF 2
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...PART 2 OF A 2-PART MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
200 PM EST THU FEB 9 1995
TO - FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER WIRE
SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
/NWS/ PRODUCT USERS...NWS EMPLOYEES
FROM - DONALD R. WERNLY...CHIEF...WARNING AND FORECAST BRANCH
SUBJECT - FORMAT CHANGES FOR SHORT-TERM FORECASTS
...PART 2 OF A 2-PART MESSAGE...
FOLLOWING ARE SPECIFIC FORMAT GUIDELINES AND TWO EXAMPLES THAT
INCLUDE MOST OF THE NEW FORMAT ASPECTS.
O THE SHORT-TERM FORECAST PRODUCT MAY CONSIST OF ONE OR MORE
GEOGRAPHICAL AREA SEGMENTS WITHIN AN OFFICE/S AREA OF
RESPONSIBILITY.
O THE SHORT-TERM FORECAST TEXT FOR ANY SEGMENT SHALL BE
PRECEDED BY THE UNIVERSAL GENERIC CODE /UGC/ FOR THAT
SEGMENT/S APPLICABLE FORECAST ZONES. PLAIN LANGUAGE
IDENTIFICATION OF THE ZONES AND CITIES OPTIONALLY MAY ALSO
FOLLOW THE UGC LINE/S/. AN OPTIONAL REPEAT OF THE DATE/TIME
LINE /FOUND IN THE THREE-LINE MASS NEWS DISSEMINATOR HEADER/
ALSO MAY FOLLOW. THE UGC FOLLOWS STANDARD PRACTICES.
O AFTER THE UGC /AND OPTIONAL ZONE/CITY NAMES...AND OPTIONAL
DATE/TIME REPEAT/...AND ON THE LINE IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THE
TEXT FOR ANY SEGMENT...A SHORT-TERM FORECAST
IDENTIFIER....NOW......SHALL BE USED.
O A HEADLINE OF RELEVANT SHORT-TERM INFORMATION MAY OPTIONALLY
BEGIN THE TEXT FOR ANY SEGMENT ON THE LINE AFTER THE
.NOW...- OFFICES HAVE THE OPTION...HOWEVER...TO INCLUDE
ADDITIONAL OR LONGER-TERM HEADLINES BEFORE THE .NOW... .
HEADLINES SHALL ALWAYS BE PRECEDED AND FOLLOWED BY THREE
DOTS /.../.
O IN MOST CASES...THE MOST IMPORTANT SHORT-TERM FORECAST
INFORMATION FOR ANY SEGMENT WILL BE CONTAINED WITHIN EIGHT
LINES AND FOLLOWED BY A DOUBLE DOLLAR /$$/...WHICH ENDS THAT
SEGMENT. IF...IN A FEW CASES...THE TEXT WERE TO EXCEED
EIGHT LINES FOR ANY SEGMENT...A DOUBLE AMPERSAND /&&/ WILL
BE FOUND AFTER THE EIGHTH LINE AND A DOUBLE DOLLAR /$$/
AFTER THE END OF THE COMPLETED TEXT FOR THAT SEGMENT.
EXAMPLES -
1/ THIS EXAMPLE SHOWS A SINGLE-SEGMENTED SHORT-TERM FORECAST
WITHOUT THE OPTIONAL ZONE/CITY NAME INFORMATION. THE TEXT DOES
NOT EXCEED EIGHT LINES AND DOES NOT INCLUDE A HEADLINE. THE TWO-
LINE COMMUNICATIONS HEADER THAT BEGINS THIS EXAMPLE IS SHOWN AS
IT WOULD APPEAR FOR NWWS USERS.
OKCNOWOKC
TTAA00 KOKC DDHHMM /ISSUANCE DATE-DD/TIME-HHMM IN UTC/
SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OKLAHOMA CITY OK
155 AM CDT DAY MONTH DATE YEAR
OKZ004>053-TXZ083>090-DDHHMM- /UGC WITH EXPIRATION DATE/UTC TIME/
.NOW...
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE
EARLY MORNING HOURS FROM NORTH-CENTRAL OKLAHOMA SOUTHWARD INTO
SECTIONS OF NORTH TEXAS. THE MOST WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS WITH
HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WILL MOVE THROUGH
LINCOLN COUNTY AND NORTHWEST SECTIONS OF POTTAWATOMIE AND
SEMINOLE COUNTIES BY 3 AM. THESE AREAS COULD RECEIVE UP TO ONE
INCH OF RAIN IN A HALF HOUR. /TEXT DOES NOT EXCEED EIGHT LINES/
$$
2/ THIS EXAMPLE SHOWS TWO FORECAST SEGMENTS WITH ZONE/CITY NAME
INFORMATION. THE FIRST SEGMENT DOES NOT EXCEED EIGHT LINES
AND INCLUDES A HEADLINE AND THE OTHER SEGMENT DOES EXCEED
EIGHT LINES BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE A HEADLINE. THE TWO-LINE
COMMUNICATIONS HEADER THAT BEGINS THIS EXAMPLE IS SHOWN AS
IT WOULD APPEAR FOR FOS USERS.
FXUS21 KDEN DDHHMM /ISSUANCE DATE-DD/TIME-HHMM IN UTC/
NOWDEN
SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
115 PM MST DAY MONTH DATE YEAR
COZ042-044-045-048>050-DDHHMM- /UGC WITH EXPIRATION DATE/UTC TIME
NORTHEAST PLAINS/BORDER - FORT MORGAN-JULESBURG-STERLING-AKRON-
/OPTIONAL AREA NAMES/
.NOW...
...HEADLINE... /OPTIONAL PART OF TEXT/
TEXT /UP TO EIGHT LINES INCLUDING ANY HEADLINE/S/.
$$
COZ038>041-043-DDHHMM- /UGC WITH EXPIRATION DATE/TIME IN UTC/
URBAN CORRIDOR - CASTLE ROCK-DENVER/BOULDER-GREELY-FORT COLLINS-
/OPTIONAL AREA NAMES/
.NOW...
TEXT /UP TO EIGHT LINES/
&&
TEXT /TEXT CONTINUES PAST EIGHT LINES- UNLIMITED LENGTH/
$$
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS...PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL NWS
OFFICE OR ROD BECKER OR RON BERGER OF MY STAFF AT 301-713-0090.
END OF PART 2 OF 2
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