Straight Talk:
Performance Measure Boards Score Kudos

Kudos from the U.S. Government Accountability Office! Recently, the GAO contacted us for a print-quality version of a graphic of the performance measure boards on display in our forecast offices and other locations. GAO wants to cite the graphic as a best practices example in a report called "Using Performances Measures to Manage." The report provides an overview and examples of how the Government Performance Results Act is implemented in several government agencies. For those of you unfamiliar with the boards, each year we prepare updated charts of national performance milestones and provide them to all interested offices for posting on a standardized display board. The boards also allow space for local and regional office goals.

We continue to be a recognized leader in federal government for using mission-related goals to improve public services. The wall displays help keep us focused on performance goals and allow our visitors to see how serious we are about improving our forecasts and warning services. For anyone wanting to view our charts or print updated versions here's the link: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/files/perfmeasures/.

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North Atlantic Hurricane Outlook Updated

On August 2, NWS issued an update to its 2005 North Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. The initial outlook indicated to a 95 to 100 percent chance of an above normal hurricane season with 18 to 21 tropical storms, 9 to 11 hurricanes, and 5 to 7 major hurricanes. As seven tropical storms and two major hurricanes (Dennis and Emily) have already formed during this season, the projected activity for the remainder of the season (i.e., August through November 2005) is an additional 11 to 14 tropical storms, 7 to 9 hurricanes, and 3 to 5 major hurricanes.

Read more details in the NOAA News story.

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New ASOS Sensor Improves Wind Measurements

The Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) Product Improvement Program will deploy a replacement wind sensor beginning this month. The new sensor, known as the Ice-Free Wind (IFW) sensor, will report wind information using the three-second World Meteorological Organization gust standard.

The new ASOS wind sensor, the Vaisala 425NWS, is a sonic anemometer with no moving parts.

The current ASOS wind sensor, the Belfort 2000, uses rotating cups to measure wind speed and a vane to measure wind direction. Over a two-minute period ASOS uses 24 five-second averages to determine the two-minute average wind speed and direction. Every minute ASOS stores the highest five-second average speed for the past minute, along with its direction, in the 12-hour archive for additional processing. This highest speed value is used to determine if a gust and/or a peak wind remark will be reported.

The new ASOS wind sensor, the Vaisala 425NWS, is a sonic anemometer. It has no moving parts and is designed to operate better in winter weather conditions. As with the Belfort sensor, over a two-minute period, ASOS uses 24 five-second averages to determine the two-minute average wind speed and direction. But the highest three-second running average speed is stored for gust and peak wind processing.

While there will be little difference in two-minute average wind speed and direction reporting, the changes in gust and peak wind reporting may be significant. "The mass of the moving parts in existing sensors limits responsiveness. The new sensor will be more responsive to short-term gusts," according to Rick Ahlberg, ASOS Product Improvement Manager, NWS Office of Science and Technology. "We can expect to see more gusts and peak winds reported with the new sensor."

The IFW sensor will be deployed at all ASOS locations over a 9-month period beginning this month. More specific information will be issued by the responsible weather forecast office for each individual site when the IFW is implemented.

More information on IFW implementation plans and status can be found on the surface observation program web page at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ops2/Surface/index.htm.

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StormReady Community Hero Award Presented in Illinois

On the one-year anniversary of an F4 tornado that demolished the Parsons Company building in Roanoke, IL, the owner of the company accepted an "NWS StormReady Community Hero Award" for exceptional preparedness and planning that resulted in saving 150 lives during the tornado.

Dennis McCarthy, Director of the NWS OCWWS, speaks about the "NWS StormReady Community Hero Award" that was given to Bob Parsons, of the Parsons Company in Roanoke, IL, at a ceremony on the one-year anniversary of an F4 tornado that struck the plant, but resulted in no injuries or fatalities. Chris Miller, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, WFO Central Illinois presented the award to Parsons, with Ernie Goetsch, Meteorologist-In-Charge, WFO Central Illinois, at right. NWS photo.

Bob Parsons and the Parsons Company received the award, only the second one awarded in the nation, from Dennis McCarthy, Director of NOAA's NWS Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services. The ceremony was held in the "new" Parsons Company building, which is at the same location where the violent tornado tracked.

Four employees of the Parsons Company were also recognized for their life-saving efforts during the violent tornado. Laura Marchand and Patricia Cannon, accounting assistants, were recognized for their use of NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, and implementing the Parsons Company weather safety plan in a timely fashion, which relayed warning information to the company's employees. Dale Eastman, Manufacturing Manager and Parsons Emergency Response Team Coordinator, and Kevin Coulter, Safety Manager and Special Projects Manager, were recognized for their outstanding efforts in the Parsons safety program, which has served as model for the rest of the Nation. Parsons Company employees observed a moment of silence at 2:41 p.m., to commemorate the exact time the F4 tornado struck their facility one year earlier.

The ceremony was attended by 150 Parsons Company employees, and 140 invited guests.
Media coverage was done by four Peoria/Bloomington, IL, television affiliates (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC), three local radio stations, and four newspapers.

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Also On the Web...
Cold Bay, Alaska Office Profiled in Weatherwise Magazine

An article in the current edition of Weatherwise magazine, by Nathan Foster of WFO Juneau, AK, describes the conditions for the five NWS staff who work in the small Cold Bay, AK, office. To view the article, go to http://www.weather-wise.org/ and select the link on the right to "A Cold Routine."

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Employee Milestones

• Click here to see NEW APPOINTMENTS/TRANSFERS to NWS through July 31, 2005.
• Click here to see RETIREMENTS/DEPARTURES from NWS through July 31, 2005.

Snapshots

Click here for a look at photos we've received from around the NWS.