20040907: VTEC-ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC (fwd)

• To: nws-changes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: 20040907: VTEC-ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC (fwd)
• From: Linda Miller <lmiller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Tue, 07 Sep 2004 13:00:34 -0600

852
NOUS41 KWBC 071751
PNSWSH

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
150 PM EDT TUE SEP 7 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/ UPDATE

REFERENCE:  PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS... SAME SUBJECT
           TRANSMITTED AUGUST 20 2004 AND AUGUST 26 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

THE COMBINED VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ AND WATCH BY COUNTY /WBC/ PERATIONAL
TEST AND EVALUATION /OTE/ STARTED AUGUST 30 2004 AND IS SCHEDULED TO CONTINUE
UNTIL OCTOBER 15 2004.

ON SEPTEMBER 7 2004 NWS OFFICES LISTED IN TABLE 1 AND TABLE 2 OF THE AUGUST 26
2004 VTEC AND WBC OTE UPDATE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BEGIN ISSUING
MORE TEST PRODUCTS ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS UNTIL THE SCHEDULED END OF THE OTE
ON OCTOBER 15 2004.  NWS OFFICES MAY ISSUE LOCAL PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS
ON DAYS THEY EXPECT TO ISSUE TEST PRODUCTS. DURING THIS TEST OF SOFTWARE AND
OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES...EACH TEST PRODUCT SHOULD BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED BY:


- THE /T/ FIXED IDENTIFIER CODE AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH P-VTEC STRING
- THE WORD TEST IN THE MASS NEWS DISSEMINATOR PRODUCT TYPE LINE
- THE WORD TEST AND SOMETIMES WORDS INDICATING THAT NO SEVERE WEATHER IS
 OCCURRING IN THE MENTIONED AREA IN THE PRODUCT TEXT AND ANY HEADLINE

OPERATIONAL AND TEST PRODUCTS CONTAINING EXPERIMENTAL OR TEST VTEC STRINGS WILL
BE ISSUED BY NWS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES AND THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER /SPC/
THROUGH OCTOBER 15 2004 AS NOTED IN PREVIOUS PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS.  IN
ADDITION... ALL OFFICES PARTICIPATING IN THE VTEC OTE WILL USE 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.

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 EXT. 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 MARYLAND
 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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