NOAA's NWS Focus - October 28, 2002

Editors' Note: Flying Squirrels and Sir David Attenborough

The top inch of your office's web page--you can't sell it for pop-up ad space, so what can you do with it, and what does that have to do with flying squirrels?

Some offices fill their prime web page real estate with the "teasers" created for the top of the NWS home page, and others create their own content. Here's a fun approach the Weather Forecast Office in Caribou, ME, is taking with the top inch of their web page:

"The 2002 Fall/Winter Issue of Maine-ly Weather features information on the new radio transmitters, the drought, autumn colors, the COOP program, new winter warning criteria, and much more!"

Now we're getting to the flying squirrels. Inside this 21-page newsletter are many articles written for Maine customers, including a great article written by Meteorologist Mark Bloomer about a visit he had from the British Broadcasting Corporation's Sir David Attenborough to film a documentary on flying squirrels commonly found in Bloomer's backyard. See the Caribou web page for the rest of the story...

We're always looking to share interesting stories about NWS employees, or creative things that our people are doing on or off the job. If you have something to share, contact us at NWS.Focus@noaa.gov.

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Director's Dialog:
Effective Dates for New Directives

Recently, we've received several updated NWS Directives (Instructions) such as: WFO Winter Weather Products, Fire Weather Services, Aviation, 7 Day CCF, etc. They are welcome guidance to many WSOM's that have been in existence a decade or more. Unfortunately, we are receiving many of them after they are in effect. This can create problems operationally since we are the ones in the field that are suppose to enact the changes.

Our question...

Can NWSHQ improve their directive process to mitigate operational impacts to the field by giving as at least a week or two notice before they go in effect? With rotating shifts (i.e. key personnel may be indisposed) as well as procedural changes this can lead to unnecessary "knee jerk" actions for us to try and implement (such as during a weekend--thus limited/no support if we have questions).

It seems reasonable to us the directive process should be tailored to mitigate operational impacts versus filling some suspense square and causing undue operational reaction(s) at the field level unless it's non-routine (emergency).

Thank you for raising this issue. As a result of your question, we changed the procedure.
Now, when a directive is signed, it becomes effective two weeks or later after that date. Specific instructions are posted on the "What's New" section of the NDS Web site and will be included in the next revised NWS Instruction 1-101.

NWS supervisors are notified by e-mail about new directives immediately after they are posted on the Directives System Web site. This is a good site to bookmark.

Jack Kelly, NWS Director

Have a question for the Director? Follow this link for guidelines for submitting a Director's Dialog question.

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Ground Broken for Mississippi Weather Radar Site

The NWS broke ground October 28, 2002, for a new Doppler radar site in Brandon, MS. NWS Deputy Director John Jones and NWS Southern Region Chief Program Officer Mac McLaughlin represented the NWS in the ceremony. Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., U.S. Navy (Ret.), Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator, represented NOAA and the Department of Commerce.

The new radar, transferred from Keesler Air Force Base, will replace the existing radar at Jackson International Airport. The new location will enable the NWS's Jackson Weather Forecast Office to provide enhanced low level severe weather detection across Mississippi. Other guests for the groundbreaking included Third District Representative Charles "Chip" Pickering and the Director of Air Force Weather, Brig. General David L. Johnson, and, Alan Gerard, Jackson weather forecast office meteorologist in charge.

Jones noted the agency worked with the Air Force to transfer the new radar from Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi.

"The Air Force showed a tremendous spirit of cooperation in working with us to move their training radar to the new site," said Jones.

The radar is scheduled to be operational early next year.

Cooperative Observer Program Highlighted in Media Campaign

Award-winning Cooperative Observers aren't just a local story anymore. The stories about these homegrown heros of the National Weather Service are making the rounds through the national media circuit for the first time this year. Cooperative Observers have been "taking the nation's temperature" for over 112 years.

The most prestigious awards for Cooperative Observers are named for President Thomas Jefferson, an early observer and recorder of weather, and the Reverend John Campanius Holm who took the first known observations in the American Colonies in 1644 and 1645. The Jefferson and Holm awards, begun in 1959, recognize weather observers for outstanding achievements in the field of meteorological observation to include longevity, dependability and accuracy of records, said Andy Horvitz, Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) Manager.

As part of a national effort to increase public recognition for the awardees and the proposed modernization of the program they support, NOAA Public Affairs distributed a national news release October 23, 2002, and public affairs officers are contacting specific news media to suggest story angles on the Jefferson and Holm awards and the COOP Program Modernization.

"This is the first year we have coordinated local award presentations and highlighted all awardees in a national media campaign," said NWS Public Affairs Director Curtis Carey. "We are working with NWS Regional Headquarters, local Weather Forecast Offices and the NWS Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services to gain more publicity for the award winners and at the same time to get the word out about the COOP Program Modernization effort."

Modernizing the Cooperative Observer program will improve monitoring of flood, drought and climate variability and provide real-time access to hourly COOP network precipitation observations, and a slew of other benefits for forecasters and the private sector.

"COOP observations have a demonstrated track record of improving temperature, precipitation, and snowfall forecast accuracy at the county level," said Bob Leffler, Customer Liaison, NWS Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services. "If COOP observations were available nationally in a timely basis the NWS could see a significant improvement in the accuracy of weather forecasts and provide customers with data from where Americans live, work, play, and grow their food."

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Putting the Message in Motion

NWS employees are often asked to speak to school groups, addressing children of all ages. Finding or creating visual aids appropriate for young audiences can be challenging. Let’s face it, kids are used to viewing media such as MTV with plenty of kinetic energy. Keeping their attention is the key to getting the message across.

NWS Deputy Director John Jones recently gave a talk to an honors club of young--mostly middle school--minority students who are interested in math and science. He used a presentation, developed by the Communications Office at NWS Headquarters, that incorporates animation and some interactive features while presenting information on the NWS and weather in general. According to Jones, the talk was well received.

A copy of this presentation can be downloaded by going to the Communications Office web site. The file is 2.38 mb in size.


* The Macromedia Flash 6 plug-in is required to view the presentation. If not already installed, click the image above to download the player prior to running the presentation.

Have presentations of your own that you would like to share? Contact us at NWS.Focus@noaa.gov.

Snowboards Now Available

Seven thousand new snow measuring boards are in stock at the NWS National Logistics Support Center (NLSC) in Kansas City, MO. The new snowboards provide a standard surface for measuring fresh snowfall. The snowboards, 16 X 24 inches and 8 millimeters thick, are made of a material called expanded polyvinylchloride (PVC). The snow boards are carried in NLSC stock under ASN D070-1, NSN NWS0-22-730-0002.

Congress Passes Long-Term Continuing Resolution

Congress has approved a long-term continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government at FY 2002 levels through November 22, 2002. The NOAA Legislative Affairs website reports this fourth CR was passed October 16 by unanimous consent in the Senate and passed by a 228-172 vote in the House. An October 7 NOAA's NWS Focus article offers more information on how a CR impacts NWS spending.