NOTE: The nws-changes mailing list is no longer active. The list archives are made available for historical reasons.
644
NOUS41 KWBC 111942
PNSWSH
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPECIAL SERVICE NOTICE...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CALIFORNIA
340 PM EDT WED AUG 11 1999
TO FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER
WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS...NWS EMPLOYEES
FROM DONALD R. WERNLY...CHIEF...CUSTOMER SERVICE
OFFICE OF METEOROLOGY
SUBJECT: THREE NEW NATIONAL NWS PRODUCTS FOR SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER...WATER...AND CLIMATE EVENTS
TODAY... WEDNESDAY...AUGUST 11 1999 AT A WHITE HOUSE PRESS
CONFERENCE...DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SECRETARY WILLIAM M. DALEY
AND NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DIRECTOR JACK KELLY WILL ANNOUNCE
THREE NEW NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PRODUCTS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE
THE PUBLIC INFORMATION ON SIGNIFICANT WEATHER...WATER...AND
CLIMATE EVENTS. THE THREE PRODUCTS ARE THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE'S THREATS ASSESSMENT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE'S AND
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE'S JOINT U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR
PRODUCT...AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE'S HEAT INDEX FORECAST
PRODUCT.
BECOMING OPERATIONAL TODAY...THE THREATS ASSESSMENT PRODUCT IS A
FORECAST OF POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ACTIVITY OVER THE NEXT
3 TO 10 DAYS. THIS FORECAST FOR EXTREME CONDITIONS SUCH AS
TEMPERATURE...PRECIPITATION...WIND...AND DROUGHT...IS UPDATED
WEEKLY OR MORE FREQUENTLY AS EVENTS REQUIRE. THE THREATS
ASSESSMENT PRODUCT PROVIDES WEATHER-SENSITIVE USERS SUCH AS
EMERGENCY MANAGERS...LOCAL OFFICIALS...FORECASTERS AND THE PUBLIC
ADVANCE NOTICE OF ONGOING AND FUTURE WEATHER...WATER...AND
CLIMATE EVENTS. ARMED WITH THIS INFORMATION...COMMUNITIES AND
INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE PRECAUTIONARY STEPS AND PUT PLANS IN PLACE
TO MITIGATE THE IMPACTS OF POTENTIAL EXTREME EVENTS.
THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR PRODUCT SUMMARIZES THE EXTENT AND
INTENSITY OF DROUGHT NATIONWIDE AND FORECASTS WHETHER DROUGHTS
WILL STRENGTHEN OR WEAKEN IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. THE MAP USES A
NEW CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM TO SHOW DROUGHT INTENSITY AND
TYPE...SIMILAR TO THOSE FOR HURRICANES AND TORNADOES. THE MAP
COMBINES KEY INDICES OF RAINFALL AND DROUGHT TO PRODUCE THE FINAL
DROUGHT INTENSITY RATING. SINCE DROUGHT OFTEN AFFECTS VARIOUS
ACTIVITIES DIFFERENTLY...THE MAP INDICATES IF DROUGHT IS
AFFECTING AGRICULTURE...FIRE DANGER...OR WATER SUPPLIES. THIS
PRODUCT IS STILL EXPERIMENTAL AND IS EXPECTED TO BECOME
OPERATIONAL BY EARLY SEPTEMBER.
THESE PRODUCTS CAN BE ACCESSED VIA INTERNET AT THE FOLLOWING
ADDRESSES: /ALL IN LOWER CASE/
HTTP://WWW.DROUGHT.NOAA.GOV
HTTP://WWW.CPC.NCEP.NOAA.GOV/PRODUCTS/PREDICTIONS/THREATS
HTTP://WWW.ENSO.UNL.EDU/MONITOR/MONITOR.HTML
WE WILL WORK TO GET THE THREATS ASSESSMENT AND THE DROUGHT
MONITOR ON THE EMERGENCY MANAGER'S WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK
(EMWIN) AND NOAAPORT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
THE TWO WEEK HEAT INDEX FORECAST PRODUCT WILL BECOME AVAILABLE
NEXT SUMMER. TODAY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE USES A HEAT
INDEX TO GIVE AN ACCURATE MEASURE OF HOW HOT IT REALLY FEELS WHEN
RELATIVE HUMIDITY IS ADDED TO THE ACTUAL AIR TEMPERATURE. NEXT
SUMMER THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL FORECAST THESE EXTREME
HEAT EVENTS UP TO TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE. FOR THE FIRST
TIME...THESE FORECASTS WILL PROVIDE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICES AS WELL AS HEALTH OFFICIALS AND LOCAL DECISION
MAKERS WITH A "HEADS UP" FOR POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING
CONDITIONS THAT FAR IN ADVANCE. LOCAL FORECAST OFFICES WILL THEN
WORK WITH LOCAL HEALTH OFFICIALS AND LOCAL DECISION MAKERS TO
HIGHLIGHT THE IMPACTS TO THE LOCAL AREA.
THIS AND OTHER NWS SERVICE NOTICES ARE POSTED AT
WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM /LOWER CASE/
END
nws-changes archives: