20060119: hydro changes-ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC (fwd)

• To: nws-changes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: 20060119: hydro changes-ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC (fwd)
• From: Linda Miller <lmiller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 13:32:11 -0700

481
NOUS41 KWBC 191735
PNSWSH

SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 06-02
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
140 PM EST THU JAN 19 2006

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...NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM:     THOMAS GRAZIANO
         ACTING CHIEF...HYDROLOGIC SERVICES DIVISION
         OFFICE OF CLIMATE WATER AND WEATHER SERVICES

SUBJECT:  UPDATE ON UPCOMING CHANGES IN HYDROLOGIC PRODUCT
         FORMATS...DELAY IN IMPLEMENTATION OF VTEC FOR
         CERTAIN HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS

REFER TO: SCN 04-56 TRANSMITTED NOVEMBER 23 2004
         SCN 05-28 TRANSMITTED JUNE 30 2005

FOLLOWING UP SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES /SCN/ 04-56 AND 05-28... THE
PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED IMPROVEMENTS IN FORMATS FOR WEATHER FORECAST
OFFICE /WFO/ HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED OVER THE
NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS... AS INDICATED BELOW. THE INCLUSION OF VALID
TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ IN CERTAIN HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS IS BEING
DELAYED UNTIL LATER THIS YEAR.

THE NEW FORMATS ANNOUNCED IN SCN 04-56 AND 05-28 WILL BE
IMPLEMENTED ON A WFO BY WFO BASIS STARTING IN EARLY FEBRUARY 2006
AND ENDING IN EARLY JUNE 2006 FOR THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS:

 1 FLOOD WARNING FOR FORECAST POINTS /FLW/
 2 FLOOD STATEMENT - FOLLOW UP FLOOD WARNING FOR FORECAST
     POINTS /FLS/
 3 AREAL FLOOD WARNING /FLW/
 4 FLOOD STATEMENT - FOLLOW UP AREAL FLOOD WARNING /FLS/
 5 FLOOD STATEMENT - AREAL ADVISORIES /FLS/
 6 FLOOD ADVISORY FOR FORECAST POINTS /FLS/
 7 FLOOD WATCH FOR FORECAST POINTS /FFA/

AS DESCRIBED IN THE PREVIOUS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES... THESE NEW
FORMATS INVOLVE SEGMENTATION OF ALL SEVEN PRODUCTS LISTED ABOVE
AND BULLETING OF ALL BUT PRODUCT NUMBER 4.

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW HYDROLOGIC PRODUCT FORMATS ARE AS
FOLLOWS:
1  FLOOD WARNINGS FOR FORECAST POINTS ON RIVERS AND STREAMS WILL
BE BULLETED AND USE A ONE FORECAST POINT PER SEGMENT FORMAT...
WITH EACH SEGMENT ENDING WITH A DOUBLE DOLLAR SIGN /$$/.

2  EACH SEGMENT IN A FLOOD WARNING FOR FORECAST POINTS WILL HAVE
ITS OWN UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHIC CODE/S/ /UGC/ LISTED WITH THE
ASSOCIATED FORECAST POINT. THIS MEANS THE SAME UGC COULD OCCUR IN
MULTIPLE SEGMENTS IF A COUNTY HAS MORE THAN ONE FORECAST POINT.

3  EACH SEGMENT IN A FLOOD WARNING FOR FORECAST POINTS WILL
INCLUDE A FIVE-CHARACTER NWS LOCATION IDENTIFIER /NWSLI/. THESE
NWSLIS CAN BE USED TO GEOGRAPHICALLY LOCATE EACH FORECAST POINT
CONTAINED IN THE FLOOD WARNING.

4  AREAL FLOOD WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES WILL USE A BULLETED...
SEGMENTED FORMAT.

THE START DATES FOR RISK REDUCTION ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONAL
TEST AND EVALUATIONS /OTE/ FOR VTEC ENCODED HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS
WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN SUBSEQUENT SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES. AS STATED
IN PREVIOUS SCNS... RISK REDUCTION ACTIVITIES AND OTES WILL
INVOLVE INCLUDING VTEC IN ALL OF THE HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS LISTED
ABOVE... PLUS FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS /FFW/ AND FLASH FLOOD
STATEMENTS /FFS/.

EXAMPLES OF HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS WITH THE NEW FORMATS AND VTEC CAN
BE FOUND IN THE LATEST DRAFT OF NWS MANUAL 10-923...WHICH IS
AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

    HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/VTEC/PDFS/10-923_FUTURE.PDF

PROCEDURES ON THE CONTENT...FORMAT...AND APPLICATION OF VTEC IN
HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS CAN BE FOUND IN NWS INSTRUCTION 10-922...
WHICH IS AVAILABLE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

    HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/VTEC/PDFS/10-922_FUTURE.PDF

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON VTEC CAN BE FOUND AT THE VTEC WEB SITE
AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

    HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/VTEC

THE LATEST AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON HYDROLOGIC VTEC... INCLUDING
NWSLI INFO AND SCHEDULES FOR RISK REDUCTION... OT&E... AND
OPERATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION WILL BE POSTED ON THE FOLLOWING WEB
SITE /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

    HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/VTEC/HYDRO_VTEC.SHTML

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...PLEASE CONTACT:

    TIM HELBLE
    NWS HYDROLOGIC POLICY PROGRAM LEADER
    SILVER SPRING MD 20910
    PHONE:  301-713-0006 EXT. 152
    E-MAIL: TIMOTHY.HELBLE@xxxxxxxx

THIS AND OTHER NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT
/USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/

    HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM/

$$

---------- End Forwarded Message ----------