President Signs Bill Authorizing Development of Inland Flooding Scale

On October 29, 2002, President Bush signed HR-2486, creating Public Law 107-253. The new law authorizes NOAA, through the U.S. Weather Research Program, to develop an inland flooding scale, train local emergency managers as well as local and regional NWS staff on how to use the scale, and perform education and outreach to citizens on the scale and issues of flooding.

The authorization bill was introduced by Rep. Bob Etheridge of North Carolina. Representative Etheridge introduced the legislation in response to the devastation of inland flooding caused by Hurricane Floyd.

"Too many folks think of hurricane damage as being limited to beach cottages. Hurricane Floyd hit us where we live. We absolutely must move forward with our efforts to improve inland flood forecasting and warnings," Etheridge said.

Authorization bills, which give the executive branch of the government the authority to take some specified action, are separate from appropriations bills, which provide funds to implement and operate the programs that are authorized, said NOAA Legislative Affairs Specialist Scott Carter. The Inland Flooding law is an authorization. To date, Congress has not appropriated money to fund this new authorization.

A copy of the public law is available on the Thomas Congressional website.

Early Reports Indicate Good Warnings and Collaboration on Major Severe Weather Outbreak in East

One of the worst November tornado outbreaks on record killed at least 36 people in the eastern United States between Sunday afternoon November 10 and Monday, November 11, 2002.

Initial reviews suggest NWS operations went well during the outbreak, and media reports suggest loss of life could have been much greater without the timely warnings.

“Our folks did very well,” said John Jones, NWS Deputy Director. “We saved lives, and that’s what we’re all about.”

NWS Headquarters has compiled more than 70 tornado, 250 damaging wind, and 160 large hail reports from Louisiana across the Tennessee and Ohio valleys to Pennsylvania and Georgia.

Twenty Four Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) issued 250 Tornado Warnings, 400 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, and 15 Flash Flood Warnings affecting sixteen states and almost 400 counties covering most of the events that occurred. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) highlighted the severe weather potential several days in advance. At midnight Sunday morning they upgraded the threat to a high risk for much of the affected area. SPC issued 15 Tornado and Severe Thunderstorm Watches from midday Sunday until early Monday.

At least one area impacted by the outbreak was a StormReady community. Van Wert County in Ohio, served by the WFO in North Webster, IN, was where a tornado may have saved over 100 lives of people and children in a movie theater evacuated minutes before the theater was destroyed. The theater manager began the evacuation after receiving the warning from their local emergency managers, who were alerted to the storm by NOAA Weather Radio.

In Alabama, emergency managers praised the NWS for the advance warning lead times. “The flow of information was more than anyone could ever hope to have in a situation like last night [Nov. 10],” said Walker County (AL) Emergency Management Agency Director Johnny Burnette.

Numerous local office damage surveys were conducted yesterday. Overflights were conducted in Alabama yesterday and will be conducted today in Ohio and eastern Tennessee. The NWS is assembling a Service Assessment Team to review this event.

El Niño on Track to Influence U.S. Winter

NOAA released an updated El Niño outlook on Thursday, November 7, 2002. Additional background information on the current outlook was prepared by the Office of Public Affairs and Climate Prediction Center to help keep you up-to-date.

At the 27th Annual Meeting of the National Weather Association in Fort Worth, TX, October 19-24, 2002, several NOAA staff were honored with awards. Congratulations to everyone!

Group Operational Achievement Award: Patrick Murphy and John Taylor, NWS Northern Indiana WFO, Syracuse, IN. "For outstanding warning services to the citizens of Northern Indiana during a severe weather outbreak which included ten tornadoes that ravaged their county warning area on October 24th, 2001."

Individual Operational Achievement Award: Pat Welch, Science and Operations Officer, NWS Jacksonville WFO, Jacksonville, FL. "For his leadership at identifying and pursuing collaborative activities which resulted in cutting-edge technology for NWS operations and enhanced products and services to emergency managers, water management districts and the public."

T. Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award: Wes Junker, Lead Forecaster, Hydrometeorological Prediction Center, Camp Springs, MD. "For his outstanding contributions in heavy precipitation forecasting linking research into operations."

Walter J. Bennett Public Service Award: South Plains Storm Spotting Team, Lubbock, TX. "For preparedness, forecaster expertise, spotter coordination, skillful use of the WSR-88D, warning communication, and dedication in assisting the WFO in Lubbock for 20 years to meet its mission of providing life-saving severe weather forecasts and warnings to the citizens of the Texas Panhandle."

Larry R. Johnson Special Award: Iowa Environmental Mesonet, Iowa State University; KCCI Television; and The NWS -WFO, Johnston, IA. "For development and implementation of a real-time data collection and dissemination surface observing network partnership between university, private forecasters, and government in Iowa."

NWA Member of the Year Award: G. Alan Johnson, Senior Meteorologist, NWS New Orleans/Baton Rouge, LA. "As a charter member, for his outstanding contributions to the NWA including serving on numerous committees, recruiting new members, and his positive impacts to operational meteorology as a mentor in training and guiding numerous forecasters and interns."

NWA Special Lifetime Achievement Award: Vern Dvorak, Retired Research Scientist, NOAA/NESDIS Satellite Applications Laboratory, Camp Springs, MD. "For his pioneering contributions in developing a technique for analyzing the location and intensity of tropical cyclones using satellite imagery which today represents the only means for properly assessing the location and intensity for most tropical cyclones in the NWS Tropical Prediction Center's areas of responsibility."

Fire Weather Training Now Available on Web

The Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training (COMET) Program has converted part of the Fire Weather module into a web site for use by a wider community (http://meted.ucar.edu/fire/fwx/index.htm ). In response to this summer's active fire season, COMET is providing an overview of factors that affect the ignition and spread of wildfire to a broader audience. Information is presented with 3-dimensional graphics and animations as well as audio descriptions and commentary by a fire behavior expert. A separate section listing "quick links" to important conceptual graphics is also available (http://meted.ucar.edu/fire/fwx/quick_links.htm ).

Louisiana Forecast Office Receives Kudos from Mayor

Randy Roach, Mayor of Lake Charles, LA, recently took the time to write a letter to his Senator, the Honorable John Breaux, to express his appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the staff of the Lake Charles NWS forecast office.

Mayor Roach became more familiar with the Lake Charles office as a result of first-hand experience in preparing his city for the approach of Hurricane Lili, a category 4 hurricane.

"Most of the time we take these services for granted," Roach wrote. "Last week I realized just how these services make a real life and death difference in the communities that they serve."

Roach described the Lake Charles staff as "dedicated professionals who know their business and are committed to going above and beyond in performing their job duties."

To see the complete text of Mayor Roach's letter, click here.

CFC Contribution Challenge Leads to Pie in the Face for Training Center Director

A certain NWS leader fulfilled a promise recently, and it left him kind of sticky.

NWS Training Center personnel and some visiting students witnessed Training Center Director John Vogel fulfill a promise he made to staffers who met his contribution challenge for the 2002 Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) fund drive. As an added incentive to participate in the annual CFC campaign, Vogel's contribution challenge meant that anyone who met the challenge would receive an opportunity to toss a pie in his face.

"The pie tasted great," said Vogel who was pleased with the contributions of the Training Center to the CFC campaign. "We exceeded our goal by more than 45 percent and everyone at the Training Center should be proud of their efforts. This was all in fun for a great cause."

Organizer of the event, Marian Baker thought Halloween would be a perfect day for this festive wrap-up.

"Combined with John's challenge, everyone's generosity, creative ideas, and hard work really made this a CFC and Halloween to remember," said Baker.

Also On The Web...Health and Human Services Website Consolidates Information By Subject

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently reorganized its website to make it easier for consumers to find information related to more than 300 programs spread across a dozen HHS agencies.