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Posted: Tue, Oct 27, 1992 4:51 PM EST Msg: DGJC-5428-9020
K.MIELKE(REC),
L.MILLER.UCAR(REC), T.WHITTAKER(REC), R.LANDIS(REC)
CC: G.HUFFORD(REC), E.YOUNG.NWS(REC)
Subj: NGM MOS to be implemented 11/4 at 1200 UTC
I sent the following message on AFOS and NWWS this afternoon (AFOS and NWWS
id: WSHPNSNMC). It is also distributed thru NWSTG under WMO header
NOFS10 KWBC to the following users:
Domestic Data Service (Family of Services)
International Data Service (Family of Services)
Honolulu X.25 line
Weather Message Switching Center (WMSC)/FAA
Canada AES
ISPAN text lines
Please make this information widely available in your offices, and in your
regions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
WSHPNSNMC
NOFS10 KWBC 272004
NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION MESSAGE 92-08...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS
300 PM EST TUE OCT 27 1992
TO: ALL NWS OFFICES
DOMESTIC DATA SERVICE, CARSWELL (MILITARY) USERS
FROM: MARY M. GLACKIN
CHIEF, SERVICES DEVELOPMENT BRANCH
SUBJECT: IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW FORMAT AND NEW STATIONS FOR
NGM MOS GUIDANCE
(THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED BY PAUL DALLAVALLE OF
THE TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY).
...CORRECTED FOR MASS MEDIA HEADER AND TO/FROM FORMAT...
Effective with the 1200 UTC cycle on November 4, 1992, a new
message format will be implemented for transmitting Nested Grid
Model (NGM)-based MOS guidance for stations in the contiguous
United States. This guidance will continue to be distributed
under WMO header FOUS14 KWBC and the FWC category on AFOS.
The new FOUS14 (FWC) message will contain forecasts of daytime
maximum and nighttime minimum temperature, time-specific
temperature and dewpoint (at 3-h intervals), time-specific opaque
cloud amount (at 6-h intervals), time-specific wind direction and
speed (at 3-h intervals), probability of precipitation (for 6-
and 12-h periods), and probability of thunderstorms and
conditional probability of severe thunderstorms (for 6- and 12-h
periods). Also note that the new format INCLUDES the heading
indicating the valid dates and times for each projection;
therefore, after the new format is implemented, NWS offices will
not need the FWCHDG product identifier.
The message will be prepared twice daily around 0400 and 1600
UTC and will be based on the 0000 and 1200 UTC forecast cycles,
respectively, of the NGM. Initially, forecasts will be available
for 313 stations in the contiguous United States. The new
message is replacing the existing FOUS14 message which contains
an abbreviated package of NGM MOS guidance for 204 stations.
Note that during the next 6 months the FOUS14 format will
be expanded to include forecasts of additional weather elements
as the guidance becomes available. When the message has reached
its completed size, the FOUS14/FWC guidance will also include
forecasts of ceiling height, visibility, and obstruction to
vision (at 3-h intervals to 36 hours and 6-h intervals from 36 -
48 hours); precipitation type and the associated conditional
probabilities for the category of snow and for the category of
sleet or freezing precipitation (seasonally available at 3-h
intervals to 36 hours and at 6-h intervals from 36 to 60 hours);
precipitation and snowfall amounts (for 6 and 12-h periods;
snowfall amounts seasonally available); and time-specific opaque
cloud amount (at 3-h intervals to 60 hours).
Lines for each of the elements listed in the previous paragraph
will be added to the message as equations are developed. We
anticipate all the elements will be available in the message by
March 1993. If forecasts are unavailable for a specific
element(s), no line will appear in the FOUS14 message for that
element. Lines for elements which are seasonally available
(precipitation type, snowfall amount) will not be included in the
message during the "off season." Within a line, forecasts for
some projections may be missing, such as nighttime temperature or
wind forecasts at offices which are closed at night.
NWS offices will receive an AFOS Change Notice shortly, which
includes the list of 109 new stations, and the AFOS identifiers
for the 204 existing stations. Family of Services users will
receive a General Notification (GENOT) message (WMO header NOFS1
KWBC) regarding these changes.
Please note that any software that has been written to decode or
process the current format of FOUS14 WILL NOT WORK once the new
format has been implemented. The Techniques Development
Laboratory (TDL) has developed an NGM MOS decoder for AFOS
(called FWCDEC) for the new format, which can be incorporated
into new or existing AFOS applications programs that decode NGM
MOS guidance. This software has been distributed to some NWS
offices. However, last week TDL found an error in the software
that prevents decoding the individual station messages
transmitted in the new format on AFOS. TDL plans to fix this
problem by the end of this week and mail a new version of the
software to the regional AFOS applications focal points as soon
as possible.
Users of the FOUS14 message are referred to National Weather
Service Technical Procedure Bulletin No. 408 for further
information on the message format and for a list of stations
which will be available in the new FOUS14 message. Copies of
this document are available from:
W/OM23
NWS, Services Development Branch
1325 East West Highway #13466
Silver Spring, MD 20910
If you have any questions concerning the new format or the new
guidance, call Paul Dallavalle or John Jensenius at
(301)-763-8151.
END OF MESSAGE
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