CRP Zone Changes

May 1, 2018 Public and Fire Weather Zone Changes

In an effort to improve the quality and accuracy of a number of our forecast products, the Corpus Christi WFO will be making changes to the way certain products are created. Where this will be most visible to users is in longer range watches, warnings and advisories (not convective). We will be able to issue an advisory for just parts of counties. This will allow us to inform persons more closely impacted by certain conditions such as fog, wind, coastal flooding, and storm surge. For example, we can issue a dense fog advisory for coastal portions of counties when dense marine fog is occurring there, but no fog is occurring farther inland.
The following image is the current zone alignment along the Middle Texas Coast. These zones are specifically lined up with counties.

The following is how zones will look beginning May 1.

Calhoun, Nueces, and Kleberg counties will be divided into 3 segments: Inland, Coastal, and Islands.
San Patricio and Refugio counties will be divided into 2 segments: Inland and Coastal.
Aransas County will be divided into 2 segments: Coastal and Islands.

This new alignment will make it possible to issue products such as a dense fog advisory for only portions of counties that will be experiencing those condiitons, adding clarity to products and forecasts.

Below are examples of how a new watch/warning/advisory might look compared to the old look.

For questions or comments contact:
John Metz - john.metz@noaa.gov or
Tom Johnstone - Thomas.johnstone@noaa.gov