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FOS NOTICE NO. 634 03-20-95 PART 2 OF 2
*********************************************************
TO - FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERSE
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
FTER 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/$$
2/ THIS EXAMPLE SHOWS TWO FORECAST SEGMENTS WITH ZONE/CITY
NAME
INFORMATION. THE FIRST SEGMENT DOES NOT EXCEED EIGHT
LINES INCLUDES A HEADLINE AND THE OTHER SEGMENT DOES
EXCEED EIGHT LINES BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE A HEADLINE.
THE TWO-LINE COMMUNICATIONS HEADER THAT BEGINS THIS
EXAMPLE IS SHOWN AS
IT WOULD APPEAR FOR FOS USERS.
FXUS21 KDEN DDHHMM /ISSUANCE DATE-DD/TIME-HHMM IN UTC/
NOWDEN
SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
115 PM MST DAY MONTH DATE YEAR
COZ042-044-045-048>050-DDHHMM- /UGC WITH EXPIRATION DATE/UTC
TIME NORTHEAST PLAINS/BORDER -FORT
MORGAN-JULESBURG-STERLING-AKRON-
/OPTIONAL AREA NAMES/
.NOW...
...HEADLINE... /OPTIONAL PART OF TEXT/
TEXT /UP TO EIGHT LINES INCLUDING ANY HEADLINE/S/.
$$
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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