20040826: VTEC-ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC (fwd)

• To: nws-changes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: 20040826: VTEC-ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC (fwd)
• From: Linda Miller <lmiller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 12:12:45 -0600

041
NOUS41 KWBC 261747
PNSWSH

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
230 AM EDT THU AUG 26 2004

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:       DEIRDRE R. JONES
           DIRECTOR...SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CENTER
           NWS OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

SUBJECT:    VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ AND WATCH BY COUNTY /WBC/
           OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION /OTE/

REFERENCE:  PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT... SAME SUBJECT
                TRANSMITTED AUGUST 20 2004
           SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-40 TRANSMITTED JULY 1 2004
           SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-45 TRANSMITTED AUGUST 2 2004
           SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-51 TRANSMITTED AUGUST 18 2004

A COMBINED VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ AND WATCH BY COUNTY /WBC/
OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION /OTE/ IS SCHEDULED TO RUN FROM
AUGUST 30 2004 TO OCTOBER 15 2004. IN PREPARATION FOR THE OTE...
ON AUGUST 26 2004...MOST OFFICES PARTICIPATING IN THE OTE WILL
TURN ON VTEC.

THIS MEANS OPERATIONAL AND TEST PRODUCTS CONTAINING EXPERIMENTAL
VTEC STRINGS WILL BE ISSUED BY SELECTED NWS WEATHER FORECAST
OFFICES /WFO/ AND THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER /SPC/ STARTING
AUGUST 26 2004.  IN ADDITION... ALL OFFICES PARTICIPATING IN THE
VTEC OTE WILL BEGIN USING A SEGMENTED FORMAT FOR FLOOD
WATCHES /FFA/...FLOOD WARNINGS /FLW/ AND FLOOD STATEMENTS /FLS/
/THIS INCLUDES FLOOD ADVISORIES/.  NOTE THAT FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS
/FFW/ AND FOLLOWUP STATEMENTS /FFS/ WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED /NON-
SEGMENTED/ THROUGH THE OTE.

NWS OFFICES LISTED IN TABLE 1 ARE SCHEDULED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
VTEC OTE.  SOME OFFICES HAVE NOT YET VERIFIED READINESS TO BEGIN
OTE PARTICIPATION AND WILL NOT BEGIN ISSUING APPROPRIATE PRODUCTS
ON AUGUST 26... BUT WILL BEGIN ON OR AFTER SEPTEMBER 7.

NWS OFFICES LISTED IN TABLE 2 ARE SCHEDULED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE
WBC OTE AND EACH HAS VERIFIED READINESS TO BEGIN PARTICIPATION ON
AUGUST 26.

TABLE 1. LIST OF VTEC OTE OFFICES

NWS ALASKA REGION HQTRS AK
   /WILL ONLY ISSUE TEST PRODUCTS AND USE WFO ANCHORAGE COMMS ID/
WFO FLAGSTAFF AZ
WFO PHOENIX AZ
WFO SAN DIEGO CA
WFO JACKSONVILLE FL
WFO MELBOURNE FL
WFO TALLAHASSEE FL
WFO TAMPA FL
NWS PACIFIC REGION HQTRS HI
   /WILL ONLY ISSUE TEST PRODUCTS AND USE WFO HONOLULU COMMS ID/
WFO DES MOINES IA
WFO BOISE ID
WFO DETROIT MI
WFO PHILADELPHIA/MOUNT HOLLY NJ
WFO LAS VEGAS NV
WFO CHARLESTON SC
WFO CHEYENNE WY
WFO RIVERTON WY

TABLE 2. LIST OF WBC OTE OFFICES

WFO BOISE ID
WFO WICHITA KS
WFO LAKE CHARLES LA
WFO KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO
WFO ST LOUIS MO
WFO SPRINGFIELD MO
WFO BILLINGS MT
WFO GLASGOW MT
WFO GREAT FALLS MT
WFO NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC

WFO RALEIGH NC
WFO WILMINGTON NC
WFO NORMAN OK
SPC NORMAN OK
WFO CHARLESTON SC
WFO COLUMBIA SC
WFO FORT WORTH TX
WFO HOUSTON TX

THE VTEC-WBC OTE IS DESCRIBED IN FURTHER DETAIL IN THE VTEC-WBC
OTE TEST PLAN... INCLUDING TEST OBJECTIVES... ASSUMPTIONS AND
LIMITATIONS... AND TEST CONDUCT AND ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURES.
VTEC IS DESCRIBED IN FURTHER DETAIL IN NWS INSTRUCTION 10-1703
AVAILABLE ON THE NWS DIRECTIVES WEB SITE AND THROUGH A LINK ON THE
VTEC WEB SITE.  MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON VTEC... WBC... AND
VTEC/WBC OTE CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT THESE WEB SITES /USE LOWER CASE
LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/VTEC
     HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/WATCH/

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON VTEC-WBC OTE OR THE NWS IMPLEMENTATION

OF VTEC... PLEASE CONTACT:

 DEIRDRE JONES...DIRECTOR             HERB WHITE
 NWS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING        OR    DISSEMINATION SERVICES
   CENTER                               MANAGER
 SILVER SPRING MARYLAND               SILVER SPRING MARYLAND
 PHONE:   301-713-0629 EXTX 105       301-713-0090 EXT. 146
 E-MAIL:  DEIRDRE.R.JONES@xxxxxxxx    HERBERT.WHITE@xxxxxxxx

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

 RICHARD OKULSKI
 NWS SEVERE WEATHER PROGRAM LEADER
 SILVER SPRING MD
 PHONE:  301-713-1867 EXT. 114
 E-MAIL: RICHARD.OKULSKI@xxxxxxxx

THIS AND OTHER VTEC UPDATE NOTICES ARE POSTED ON THE VTEC WEB PAGE
SHOWN ABOVE.

$$
NNNN


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