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NOUS41 KWBC 291300
PNSNMC
NATIONAL TECHNICAL INFORMATION MESSAGE 95-42
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
0900 AM EDT FRI SEP 29 1995
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...WARNING AND FORECAST BRANCH
SUBJECT - NATIONAL CENTERS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTION
THE NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL CENTER /NMC/...THE HEART OF THE
NWS/S DATA COLLECTION...ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION OPERATIONS SINCE
1958...IS RESTRUCTURING ITS SERVICES TO BETTER SERVE THE PUBLIC AND
THE MODERNIZED NWS. NEW SERVICES WILL INCLUDE OPERATIONAL CLIMATE
...SHORT-RANGE WEATHER... AND OCEAN PREDICTIONS. TO REFLECT THIS
NEW SCOPE OF SERVICES...NMC HAS BEEN RENAMED THE NATIONAL CENTERS
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTION /NCEP/...EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 1 1995.
VIRTUALLY ALL THE METEOROLOGICAL DATA COLLECTED OVER THE GLOBE
ARRIVE AT THE NCEP...WHERE THEY ARE ANALYZED AND USED TO GENERATE A
VARIETY OF PRODUCTS THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED TO NWS FIELD OFFICES...
PRIVATE METEOROLOGISTS...THE MEDIA...GOVERNMENT OFFICES AND THE
INTERNATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL COMMUNITY. SIGNIFICANT ADVANCES IN
WEATHER FORECASTING TECHNOLOGY AND NUMERICAL WEATHER MODELING
FACILITATED THE NCEP RESTRUCTURING.
NUMERICAL MODELING SCIENCE HAS ATTAINED MATURITY BEYOND WEATHER
FORECASTING AND NOW CAN BE APPLIED TO PREDICTING CLIMATE AND OCEAN
VARIATIONS...SAID RONALD D. MCPHERSON...NCEP DIRECTOR. THE
RESTRUCTURED CENTERS ALLOW US TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE ADVANCES IN
METEOROLOGY...OCEANOGRAPHY AND SUPERCOMPUTING TO PROVIDE FORECASTS
AND PREDICTIONS FOR ECONOMIC BENEFIT AND SECURITY OF LIFE AND
PROPERTY.
THE NCEP...HEADQUARTERED IN CAMP SPRINGS...MD....HAS 9
COMPONENTS THAT WORK TOGETHER TO PROVIDE A BROAD SUITE OF FORECASTS
- - SEVEN SCIENCE-BASED...SERVICE-ORIENTED CENTERS TO GENERATE
ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTIONS AND TWO CENTRAL SUPPORT CENTERS TO DEVELOP
AND OPERATE THE NUMERICAL MODELS ON WHICH THE PREDICTIONS ARE BASED.
THE NEW STORM PREDICTION CENTER...CO-LOCATED WITH THE NATIONAL
SEVERE STORMS LABORATORY IN NORMAN...OKLA....PROVIDES SHORT-TERM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER GUIDANCE FOR THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES FOR
HEAVY RAINS...FLASH FLOODS AND WINTER STORMS. PRIMARY CUSTOMERS OF
THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER ARE NWS FIELD FORECASTERS.
THE AVIATION WEATHER CENTER IN KANSAS CITY...MO....ADVISES AND
WARNS OF WIND...TEMPERATURE AND FLIGHT HAZARDS FOR DOMESTIC AND
INTERNATIONAL AVIATION. THE HIGH-ALTITUDE AND INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT
ADVISORY FUNCTIONS NOW LOCATED IN CAMP SPRINGS...MD....WILL BE
CONSOLIDATED IN THE NEW CENTER...FOR MORE COHESIVE RESPONSES TO THE
AVIATION COMMUNITY.
THE TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER IN CORAL GABLES...FLA....LOCATED
AT THE FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN MIAMI...ISSUES
WATCHES...WARNINGS...FORECASTS AND ANALYSES FOR TROPICAL WEATHER
CONDITIONS. THE TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER INCLUDES THE WELL-KNOWN
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER...RESPONSIBLE FOR TRACKING AND FORECASTING
TROPICAL CYCLONES ALONG THE U.S. COASTLINE.
THE SPACE ENVIRONMENT CENTER IN BOULDER...CO....PROVIDES
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL FORECASTS...ALERTS AND WARNINGS OF
CONDITIONS IN THE GLOBAL SPACE ENVIRONMENT. THE CENTER ISSUES
SPECIFIC PREDICTIONS OF THE ACTIVITY LEVEL OF SPACE WEATHER FOR THE
NEXT 3 DAYS...MORE GENERAL PREDICTIONS UP TO SEVERAL WEEKS IN
ADVANCE...AND MONTHLY SUMMARIES OF OBSERVED SOLAR TERRESTRIAL
CONDITIONS.
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER IN CAMP SPRINGS...MD....CONTINUES
DIAGNOSING AND ANALYZING CLIMATE...AND GENERATES CLIMATE
PREDICTIONS. THE CENTER PROVIDES CLIMATE OUTLOOKS FOR MONTHLY AND
SEASONAL PERIODS FROM TWO WEEKS TO 12.5 MONTHS IN ADVANCE.
THE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER IN CAMP SPRINGS...MD
...PROVIDES BASIC FORECASTS FOR THE NATION/S METEOROLOGICAL
COMMUNITY OUT TO FIVE DAYS IN THE FUTURE. THE CENTER USES
RADAR...SATELLITE AND CONVENTIONAL DATA AND MODEL PREDICTIONS AS
INPUT FOR FORECASTS THAT ALERT FIELD OFFICES OF POTENTIAL FLASH
FLOODS AND HEAVY SNOW. THE CENTER COORDINATES WITH THE STORM
PREDICTION CENTER AND THE TROPICAL PREDICTION CENTER DURING SEVERE
STORM AND HURRICANE EVENTS.
THE MARINE PREDICTION CENTER...CO-LOCATED WITH THE
HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER WILL SUPPORT MARINE SAFETY AND
NAVIGATION...COASTAL ECOSYSTEM HEALTH...FISHERIES...RECREATIONAL
BOATING...CLIMATE AND OTHER NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS.
IN ADDITION TO THESE 7 SERVICE UNITS...2 SUPPORT CENTERS...BOTH
LOCATED IN CAMP SPRINGS...MD....DEVELOP AND OPERATE NUMERICAL MODELS
REQUIRED FOR NCEP FORECASTS.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING CENTER COORDINATES WITH THE EXTERNAL
RESEARCH COMMUNITY VIA ITS MODEL TEST FACILITY TO RESEARCH AND
DEVELOP NUMERICAL MODELING OF THE DYNAMIC PROCESSES OF THE OCEANS
AND ATMOSPHERE...AND THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE OCEAN...LAND AND
ATMOSPHERE. THE FACILITY ALSO DEVELOPS SMALL-SCALE AND GLOBAL
ATMOSPHERIC AND OCEANIC MODELS AND SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURE MODELS.
THESE IMPROVED MODELING SYSTEMS SUPPORT THE FORECAST REQUIREMENTS OF
THE SEVEN SERVICE CENTERS.
NCEP CENTRAL OPERATIONS IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL ASPECTS OF
NCEP/S OPERATIONS. THE CENTER PROVIDES MANAGEMENT...PROCUREMENT...
DEVELOPMENT...INSTALLATION...MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF ALL
COMPUTING AND COMMUNICATION SERVICES LINKING ALL THE NATIONAL
CENTERS TOGETHER.
THIS RESTRUCTURING IS PART OF THE NWS/S MODERNIZATION PROGRAM.
END
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