[nws-changes] 20111024: public zone coverage-Fwd: ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC

• To: nws-changes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: [nws-changes] 20111024: public zone coverage-Fwd: ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC
• From: Linda Miller <lmiller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:07:45 -0600

-------- Original Message --------

872
NOUS41 KWBC 241848
PNSWSH

Service Change Notice 11-36
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
248 PM EDT Mon Oct 24 2011

TO:       Subscribers:
          -Family of Services
          -NOAA Weather Wire Service
          -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
          -NOAAPORT
          Other NWS Partners and NWS Employees

FROM:     Eli Jacks
          Chief, Fire and Public Weather Services Branch

SUBJECT   Implementation of Improved Public Zone Coverage
          for Southwestern/South Central New Mexico and
          Far West Texas Effective February 23, 2012

Effective Thursday, February 23, 2012, at 3:00 pm Mountain
Standard Time (MST), 2200 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the
NWS Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Santa Teresa, NM, (EPZ),
will issue public weather forecast and warning products using new
public zones.

WFO EPZ public zone boundaries are being changed to better
incorporate local topography and climatology across southern New
Mexico and far west Texas.  Several existing zones have been
reconfigured to mitigate the significant variances in climate and
elevation in the zones currently in use.

Some of the major changes to the current zone configuration
include:

- Differentiation between the eastern and western slopes of the
  southern Sacramento Mountains.

- Division of El Paso county to reflect the differences in wind
  and temperature within the city of El Paso on either side of
  the Franklin Mountains.

- Reduction in size of several zones that currently have great
  ranges in temperature and elevation.

- Improvement in separation of mountains and valleys across the
  southern Gila region.

More detail regarding why these public zone changes are being
made, graphical depictions of the current and new public zones,
text listings of old and new public zone names with Universal
Geographic Codes (UGC), and a table of WFO EPZ products affected
by these changes is online at:

  http://www.srh.noaa.gov/media/epz/newzones/epznewzones.pdf

Table 1:  Retiring WFO EPZ Public Zone Numbers and Names

Retiring Zone      Retiring Zone Name
  Number
-------------      ------------------
NMZ022             Southwest Mountains/Lower Gila Region
NMZ023             Sierra County lakes Region
NMZ024             Tularosa Basin/Southern Desert
NMZ025             Southern Sacramento Mountains
NMZ030             Southwest Desert/Bootheel
NMZ031             Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin
NMZ032             Southern Desert
TXZ055             El Paso
TXZ056             Hudspeth

Table 2:  New WFO EPZ Public Zone Numbers and Names

New Zone Number    New Zone Name
---------------    -------------
NMZ401             Upper Gila River Valley
NMZ402             Southern Gila Highlands/Black Range
NMZ403             Southern Gila Foothills/Mimbres Valley
NMZ404             Southwest Desert/Lower Gila River Valley
NMZ405             Lowlands of the Bootheel
NMZ406             Uplands of the Bootheel
NMZ407             Southwest Desert/Mimbres Basin
NMZ408             Eastern Black Range Foothills
NMZ409             Sierra County Lakes
NMZ410             Northern Dona Ana County
NMZ411             Southern Dona Ana County/Mesilla Valley
NMZ412             Central Tularosa Basin
NMZ413             Southern Tularosa Basin
NMZ414             West Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below
                     7500 Feet
NMZ415             Sacramento Mountains Above 7500 Feet
NMZ416             East Slopes Sacramento Mountains Below
                     7500 Feet
NMZ417             Otero Mesa
TXZ418             Western El Paso County
TXZ419             Eastern/Central El Paso County
TXZ420             Northern Hudspeth Highlands/Hueco Mountains
TXZ421             Salt Basin
TXZ422             Southern Hudspeth Highlands
TXZ423             Rio Grande Valley of Eastern El Paso/Western
                     Hudspeth Counties
TXZ424             Rio Grande Valley of Eastern Hudspeth County

Partners and other users must take appropriate action to continue
correctly processing all WFO EPZ products.

Updated public zone map shapefiles are available for download
online at:

  www.weather.gov/geodata/catalog/wsom/html/pubzone.htm

The changes are to WFO EPZ public zones only. WFO EPZ fire
weather zones will remain unchanged.

If you have any questions, please contact:

Jesus Haro                        Melinda Bailey
National Weather Service          NWS Southern Region HQ
Santa Teresa NM 88008             Fort Worth TX 76102
575-589-4088 X223                 817-978-1100 X107

National Service Change Notices are online at:

 http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm

$$
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