National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorms in West-Central Texas; Critical Fire Weather Threat in the Rockies and Plains

Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms capable of producing large hail and damaging wind gusts will be possible this evening across west-central Texas. Elevated to Critical fire weather conditions will persist across the southern Rockies and portions of the southern Plains through this weekend. Read More >

National Weather Service Organization

National Program

Office of Chief Operating Officer

Weather.gov > National Weather Service Organization > Office of Chief Operating Officer


Contact
Ken Harding
kenneth.harding@noaa.gov
301-427-9212


The Office of the Chief Operating Officer (OCOO) manages the day-to-day mission execution units responsible for delivering NWS weather, water, climate and space weather products, services, and information as well as the budgetary planning for 11 National Service Programs. The Office is responsible for coordinating and integrating all aspects of mission execution to ensure consistency of NWS products and services. The Office is responsible for enforcing National Service Program policy. The Office manages the NWS Operations Center (NWSOC) and provides liaison services to other partnering agencies. The Office is the lead for Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning to ensure organizational and management continuity. The Office monitors and reports service delivery performance measures, conducts and evaluates operational service efficiency, effectiveness, and customer satisfaction, and develops NWS policy delineating NWS's mission and its public sector responsibility to produce and disseminate information. The Office manages and oversees resources to maintain and sustain effective mission execution, identifies and validates needed service requirements, and ensures those needs are incorporated into cross-portfolio planning activities. These activities require active coordination and collaboration with all members of the climatological, hydrometeorological, space weather, and oceanographic communities as well as all weather-sensitive constituent communities including other Federal, state, and local government agencies; the media; the private weather information sector; academic institutions; non-governmental organizations; constituent organizations; and the public.

Operations Division

Contact
Mike Sowko
mike.sowko@noaa.gov
301-427-9307

The OCOO’s Operations Division is responsible for providing Headquarters-level support to the entire field structure through the provision of objective and impact-based performance metrics, monitoring forecast and warning consistency, facilitating communications between senior leadership, core Federal partners and the field and focusing on Continuity of Operations (COOP). The Division provides oversight and insight to NWS service performance and ensures NWS is responsive by delivering products and information that are useful to customers and partners. The Division also oversees NWS service assessments and their recommendations as many affect NWS partners in the delivery of services including the media, local officials, emergency managers, and weather and climate enterprise. The Division ensures optimal resources are available to cover the HQ-based NWS Operations Center as well as liaison support to partnering Federal agencies. The Division ensures that training requirements for both operations and service assessments feed into the Office of the Chief Learning Officer.

+Performance and Evaluation Branch

+NWS Operations Center

Contact
Mike Sowko
mike.sowko@noaa.gov

Brian Montgomery
brian.montgomery@noaa.gov

301-427-9341

The NWS Operations Center’s (NWSOC) primary responsibilities are to organize and maintain two-way communications between senior leadership and the field, provide NWS Continuity of Operations (COOP) planning and support NWS liaisons that are embedded at the agencies of core Federal partners. The NWSOC keeps senior officials from the Department of Commerce, NOAA, and NWS apprised of any environmental or service-related events through both routine and real-time briefings, emails and written reports through its seven day per week operations. The NWSOC coordinates with NWS Regional Operations Centers (ROCs), NWS National Centers (NCEP), and NOAA Homeland Security Program Office (HSPO). The NWSOC acts as the general off-hours focal point for the ROCs and NWS Headquarters and follows FEMA’s Incident Command System (ICS) structure to enable surge staffing capacity as events unfold. The NWSOC issues event reports and GIS-formatted situational awareness graphics that are distributed to DOC/NOAA/NWS and numerous Federal partners. Staff from the NWSOC is deployed at FEMA’s National Watch Center, with FEMA’s National Incident Management Assistant Teams (N-IMAT), and with the National Interagency Fire Center. The Operation’s Center conducts outreach and coordinates with Operational Centers at other Federal Agencies including: Department of Homeland Security/FEMA, Health and Human Services Secretary Operations Center, the Centers for Disease Control, the Veteran’s Administration, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Staff at the NWSOC also works with NWS Office of Communications and conducts media interviews and provides social media updates as needed.

 

 

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