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715
NOUS41 KWBC 051735
PNSWSH
SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-45...AMENDED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
1110 EST FRI NOV 5 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: ROBERT J. MCLEOD
CHIEF...AWARENESS BRANCH
OFFICE OF CLIMATE...WATER...AND WEATHER SERVICES
SUBJECT: AMENDED...OPERATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VALID TIME
EVENT CODE /VTEC/ IN MOST NWS EVENT-DRIVEN PRODUCTS
EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 8 2005
AMENDED TO DELAY IMPLEMENTATION OF VTEC IN MANY PRODUCTS.
ANALYSIS OF THE COMBINED VTEC AND WATCH BY COUNTY /WBC/
OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION DATA BY NWS AND NWS PARTNERS
RESULTED IN THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS RELATING TO VTEC:
-VTEC WILL BE OPERATIONALLY IMPLEMENTED IN FIVE SHORT-
DURATION WARNING PRODUCTS ISSUED BY WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES
/WFO/ AND FINAL WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE MESSAGES /WOU/ ISSUED
BY THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER /SPC/. SEE THE PRODUCT LIST
BELOW.
-VTEC WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN EXPERIMENTAL MODE IN UPDATE WOUS
ISSUED BY SPC AND IN EXPERIMENTAL WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION
MESSAGES /WCN/ ISSUED BY ALL WFO/S IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED
STATES AND THE STATE OF HAWAII. SEE AMENDED SERVICE CHANGE
NOTICES 04-47 AND 04-48 FOR DETAILS RELATING TO WBC
PRODUCTS.
-THE OPERATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF VTEC IN OTHER PRODUCTS...
INCLUDING ALL HYDROLOGIC AND FIRE WEATHER PRODUCTS... WINTER
STORM AND NON-PRECIPITATION WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY
PRODUCTS... AND MOST COASTAL AND MARINE PRODUCTS... WILL BE
ANNOUNCED IN FUTURE SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES AT LEAST 120 DAYS
EFORE SUCH IMPLEMENTATION.
-SELECTED WFOS WILL CONTINUE TO ISSUE OPERATIONAL AND TEST
PRODUCTS CONTAINING EXPERIMENTAL OR TEST VTEC STRINGS UNTIL
OPERATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION.
ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 8 2005 AT 1800 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME
/UTC/... ALL WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES /WFO/ WILL OPERATIONALLY
IMPLEMENT THE VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ IN MOST SHORT-DURATION
WARNING PRODUCTS ISSUED BY WFOS AND IN THE NATIONAL WATCH OUTLINE
UPDATE MESSAGE /WOU/ ISSUED BY THE SPC. IF FEBRUARY 8 2005 IS
DECLARED A NATIONAL CRITICAL WEATHER DAY... IMPLEMENTATION WILL
OCCUR ON THE NEXT WEEKDAY NOT DECLARED A CRITICAL WEATHER DAY.
THE VTEC ALWAYS IS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH...AND PROVIDES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION TO... THE UNIVERSAL GEOGRAPHIC CODE
/UGC/ TO FURTHER AID IN THE AUTOMATED DELIVERY OF NWS TEXT
PRODUCTS TO USERS. THE VTEC PROVIDES INFORMATION ON THE EVENT.
THE UGC DESCRIBES THE AFFECTED GEOGRAPHIC AREA.
THERE ARE TWO FORMS OF VTEC...THE PRIMARY OR P-VTEC AND... IN
CERTAIN HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS... A SUPPLEMENTARY HYDROLOGIC OR H-
VTEC ALWAYS USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AND OCCURRING ON THE LINE
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE P-VTEC STRING/S/. NONE OF THE PRODUCTS
OPERATIONALLY IMPLEMENTING VTEC ON FEBRUARY 8 2005 WILL CONTAIN
THE H-VTEC STRING.
THE P-VTEC STRING/S/ AND ANY H-VTEC STRING/S/ OCCUR IMMEDIATELY
AFTER THE UGC STRING AND...DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE PRODUCT IS
SEGMENTED OR NOT...WILL OCCUR IN DIFFERENT PLACES IN THE PRODUCT.
BEGINNING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION DATE...THE FOLLOWING NWS WFO TEXT
PRODUCT CATEGORIES WILL CONTAIN OPERATIONAL VTEC:
PUBLIC PRODUCTS
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING SVR
TORNADO WARNING TOR
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT SVS
COASTAL AND MARINE PRODUCTS
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING SMW
MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT /ONLY THOSE
WHICH FOLLOW UP AN SMW PRODUCT/ MWS
BEGINNING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION DATE...THE FOLLOWING NWS NATIONAL
TEXT PRODUCT CATEGORY WILL CONTAIN OPERATIONAL VTEC:
STORM PREDICTION CENTER PRODUCT
WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE WOU
ADDITIONAL PERIODS OF VTEC TESTING ARE PLANNED IN 2005 FOR
PRODUCTS TESTED THIS YEAR AND NOT BEING IMPLEMENTED OPERATIONALLY
ON FEBRUARY 8 2005 AS PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED. THESE PRODUCTS
INCLUDE HYDROLOGIC AND FIRE WEATHER PRODUCTS... WINTER STORM AND
NON-PRECIPITATIOIN WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY PRODUCTS... AND SOME
COASTAL AND MARINE PRODUCTS. TESTING WILL ALSO INCLUDE
ADDITIONAL NWS TROPICAL WEATHER AND ROUTINE MARINE TEXT PRODUCTS
THAT ARE SCHEDULED TO INCLUDE VTEC AT A LATER DATE. THE
IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE FOR ALL ADDITIONAL PRODUCTS WILL BE
LISTED IN FUTURE SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES.
VTEC IS DESCRIBED IN DETAIL IN NWS INSTRUCTION /NWSI/ 10-1703...
WHICH IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS DIRECTIVES WEB SITE AT /USE LOWER
CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/DIRECTIVES
NWSI 10-1703 WILL BE UPDATED TO INCLUDE CHANGES RECOMMENDED
DURING THE RECENT VTEC/WBC OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION. THE
UPDATED NWSI 10-1703 WILL BE POSTED IN DRAFT FORM ON THE VTEC WEB
SITE LISTED BELOW BY NOVEMBER 30 2004. THE UPDATE SHOULD BE
AVAILABLE ON THE ABOVE NWS DIRECTIVES WEB SITE BY JANUARY 2005
AFTER FINAL INTERNAL NWS COORDINATION AND APPROVAL.
MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON VTEC CAN BE FOUND AT THE VTEC WEB
SITE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/VTEC
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...PLEASE CONTACT:
HERB WHITE
DISSEMINATION SERVICES MANAGER
SILVER SPRING MARYLAND
PHONE: 301-713-0090 X 146
E-MAIL: HERBERT.WHITE@xxxxxxxx
THIS AND OTHER NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE POSTED ON /USE
LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM
$$
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