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NOUS41 KWBC DDHHMM
PNSWSH
SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 05-24
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
1050 AM EDT THU JUN 30 2005
TO: FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...
NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...
EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK
/EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...
OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS
AND PARTNERS...AND NWS EMPLOYEES
FROM: ROBERT J. MCLEOD
CHIEF...AWARENESS BRANCH
OFFICE OF CLIMATE...WATER...AND WEATHER SERVICES
SUBJECT: OPERATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VALID TIME EVENT
CODE /VTEC/ IN SEVEN NWS EVENT-DRIVEN PRODUCTS AND
TWO ROUTINE MARINE PRODUCTS EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 1 2005
ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 1 2005 AT 1800 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME /UTC/
... ALL WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES /WFO/ IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED
STATES /CONUS/ WILL TRANSITION FROM EXPERIMENTAL VALID TIME EVENT
CODE /VTEC/ TO OPERATIONAL VTEC IN SEVEN NWS EVENT- DRIVEN OR
NON-ROUTINE PRODUCT CATEGORIES...INCLUDING ONE NATIONAL EVENT-
DRIVEN PRODUCT CATEGORY... TWO WFO ROUTINE MARINE FORECASTS
WILL ALSO TRANSITION FROM USE OF EXPERIMENTAL VTEC TO OPERATION
VTEC ON NOVEMBER 1 2005. IF NOVEMBER 1 2005 IS DECLARED A
NATIONAL CRITICAL WEATHER DAY... IMPLEMENTATION WILL OCCUR ON THE
NEXT WEEKDAY NOT DECLARED A CRITICAL WEATHER DAY.
THE VTEC ALWAYS IS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH...AND PROVIDES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION TO... THE UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHIC CODE
/UGC/ TO FURTHER AID IN THE AUTOMATED DELIVERY OF NWS TEXT
PRODUCTS TO USERS. THE VTEC PROVIDES INFORMATION ON THE EVENT.
THE UGC DESCRIBES THE AFFECTED GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
THERE ARE TWO FORMS OF VTEC...THE PRIMARY OR P-VTEC AND...IN
CERTAIN HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS...A SUPPLEMENTARY HYDROLOGIC OR H-
VTEC ALWAYS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AND OCCURRING ON THE LINE
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE P-VTEC STRING/S/.
THE P-VTEC STRING/S/ AND ANY H-VTEC STRING/S/ OCCUR IMMEDIATELY
AFTER THE UGC STRING AND...DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE PRODUCT IS
SEGMENTED OR NOT...WILL OCCUR IN DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE PRODUCT.
BEGINNING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION DATE...THE FOLLOWING NWS WFO TEXT
PRODUCT CATEGORIES WILL CONTAIN OPERATIONAL VTEC:
WFO EVENT-DRIVEN PUBLIC PRODUCTS
WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION WCN
WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE WSW
NON-PRECIPITATION WEATHER MESSAGE NPW
WFO EVENT-DRIVEN HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS
FLOOD WATCH AND FLASH FLOOD WATCH FFA
WFO EVENT-DRIVEN COASTAL AND MARINE PRODUCTS
COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE AND LAKESHORE HAZARD
MESSAGE /INCLUDING HIGH SURF/ CFW
WFO EVENT-DRIVEN FIRE WEATHER PRODUCTS
RED FLAG WARNING AND FIRE WEATHER WATCH RFW
NATIONAL EVENT-DRIVEN PRODUCT
WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE /AS NEEDED UPDATES/ WOU
WFO ROUTINE MARINE FORECASTS
COASTAL WATERS FORECAST CWF
GREAT LAKES NEARSHORE FORECAST NSH
THIS IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE FOLLOWS THE SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONAL TEST
AND EVALUATION /OTE/ FOR THE GRAPHICAL HAZARD GENERATION /GHG/
SOFTWARE WHICH WAS RUN FROM MAY 9 2005 TO JUNE 24 2005 IN WHICH
OVER 30 WFOS ISSUED PRODUCTS WITH EXPERIMENTAL AND TEST VTEC.
REMAINING WFOS WILL BEGIN ISSUING EXPERIMENTAL VTEC IN THESE
OPERATIONAL PRODUCTS AS THEY INSTALL THE NEW GHG SOFTWARE AND
COMPLETE STAFF TRAINING. ALL CONUS WFOS WILL CHANGE FROM
EXPERIMENTAL VTEC TO OPERATIONAL VTEC ON NOVEMBER 1 2005.
THESE OPERATIONAL VTEC PRODUCT CATEGORIES WILL JOIN THE SIX PRODUCT
CATEGORIES WHICH BEGAN USING OPERATIONAL VTEC ON FEBRUARY 8 2005:
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING SVR
TORNADO WARNING TOR
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT SVS
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING SMW
MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT /FOLLOW-UP TO SMW/ MWS
WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE /INITIAL AND FINAL ONLY/ WOU
ADDITIONAL VTEC TESTING FOR OTHER NWS EVENT-DRIVEN HYDROLOGIC
PRODUCTS AND MARINE WEATHER STATEMENTS /THOSE WHICH DO NOT FOLLOW
UP A SPECIAL MARINE WARNING PRODUCT/ IS PLANNED FOR FALL 2005 OR
WINTER 2006. THE TESTING SCHEDULE FOR THOSE PRODUCTS WILL BE
LISTED IN FUTURE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON VTEC...INCLUDING THE FINAL DRAFT VERSION
OF THE UPDATED VTEC DIRECTIVE /NWS INSTRUCTION 10-1703/ AND OTHER
DRAFT AND OPERATIONAL NWS DIRECTIVES...ALONG WITH THE UPDATED LIST
OF WFOS ISSUING PRODUCTS WITH EXPERIMENTAL VTEC... CAN ALL BE
FOUND AT THE VTEC WEB SITE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/VTEC
THE UPDATED VTEC DIRECTIVE / NWS INSTRUCTION 10-1703 / IS EXPECTED TO
BE OFFICIALLY ISSUED AND AVAILABLE ON THE ABOVE WEBSITE AND ON THE
NWS DIRECTIVES WEBSITE BY JULY 29 2005 AFTER FINAL INTERNAL NWS
APPROVALS.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...PLEASE CONTACT:
HERB WHITE
DISSEMINATION SERVICES MANAGER
SILVER SPRING MARYLAND
PHONE: 301-713-0090 X 146
E-MAIL: HERBERT.WHITE@xxxxxxxx
THIS AND OTHER NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT
/USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/NOTIF.HTM
$$
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