NOUS41 KWBC DDHHMM PNSWSH PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 00-111 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC 250 PM EST WED NOV 22 2000 TO: FAMILY OF SERVICES/FOS/SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS...NWS EMPLOYEES FROM: PAUL STOKOLS...ACTING CHIEF FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH SUBJECT: EXPANDED CODED CITIES FORECAST AND NEW DIGITAL FORECAST PRODUCTS FROM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN CARIBOU ME...EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 1 AND DECEMBER 4 2000 ON WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 1 2000...AT 400 PM EST...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CARIBOU MAINE BEGAN ISSUING AN EXPANDED VERSION OF THE CODED CITIES FORECAST FOR CARIBOU AND BANGOR. ON MONDAY DECEMBER 4 2000...AT 400 PM EST THE NUMBER OF LOCATIONS LISTED IN THE CODED CITIES FORECAST WILL EXPAND TO A TOTAL OF TEN. THESE LOCATIONS WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: BANGOR BAR HARBOR CARIBOU CLAYTON LAKE EASTPORT FRENCHVILE GREENVILLE HOULTON MILLINOCKET PRESQUE ISLE ALSO ON DECEMBER 4...A NEW PRODUCT CALLED THE DIGITAL ZONE FORECAST WILL BE ISSUED. THE DIGITAL FORMAT OF THESE PRODUCTS WILL FACILITATE AUTOMATED PROCESSING BY COMPUTERS. EXPANDED CODED CITIES FORECAST... THE EXPANDED CODED CITIES FORECAST IS SIMILAR TO THE EXISTING PRODUCT FOR DAYS 1 AND 2...BUT WILL INCLUDE FORECASTS OUT TO FIVE DAYS. THE WMO HEADER IS UNCHANGED...AND CONTINUES TO BE FPUS41 KCAR. THE NINE-CHARACTER PIL IDENTIFIER...PWMCCFCAR... ALSO REMAINS UNCHANGED. CUSTOMERS WILL NOT NEED TO MAKE ANY COMMUNICATION HEADER CHANGES TO CONTINUE RECEIVING THIS PRODUCT. THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE FIRST ENTRY OF THE EXPANDED CODED CITIES FORECAST... FPUS41 KCAR 162030 CCFCAR CAR TA 055/074 038/059 038 25375 RRR 073/048 074/050 070 0000000 BGR TA 055/074 038/059 038 25375 RRR 073/048 074/050 070 0000000 THE THIRD TEXT LINE IS IDENTICAL TO THE OLD CODED CITIES FORECAST. ON THE FOURTH LINE...RRR IS AN EXAMPLE OF A STRING OF THREE ONE LETTER WEATHER FORECAST FOR DAYS 3...4...AND 5...FOLLOWED BY THE TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR THE LAST FIVE PERIODS. THE STRING OF ZEROES AT THE END OF THE FOURTH LINE REPRESENTS PLACE HOLDERS FOR SEVEN ADDITIONAL 12 HOUR PERIODS OF PRECIPITATION PROBABILITIES. DIGITAL ZONE FORECAST... THE DIGITAL ZONE FORECAST IS A NEW PRODUCT WHICH DISPLAYS FORECASTED WEATHER PARAMETERS IN UP TO 3-HOUR INTERVALS. THE INFORMATION IN A 3 HOURLY INTERVAL...COMBINED WITH THE MATRIX FORMAT...CREATES A MORE DETAILED FORECAST AND ALSO MAKES IT EASIER FOR THE USER TO OBTAIN THE WEATHER PARAMETER/S/ OF CHOICE. IT IS ESSENTIALLY A DIGITAL DISPLAY OF THE OLD ZONE FORECAST IN MUCH GREATER DETAIL AND WITH FORECAST PROJECTIONS OUT TO 5 DAYS. THE NARRATIVE VERSION OF THE ZONE FORECAST PRODUCT /ZFP/ WILL STILL BE AVAILABLE. THE WMO HEADER FOR THIS PRODUCT WILL BE FOUS51 KCAR. THE NINE- CHARACTER PIL IDENTIFIER WILL BE PWMRDFCAR. CUSTOMERS WILL NEED TO ADD THESE IDENTIFIERS TO THEIR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS IF THEY WISH TO RECEIVE THE DIGITAL ZONE FORECAST. THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE DIGITAL ZONE FORECAST... FOUS51 KCAR 101600 RDFCAR DIGITAL ZONE FORECAST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 1035 AM EDT FRI AUG 11 2000 MEZ001-004-312000- NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK-NORTHEAST AROOSTOOK-NORTHERN SOMERSET- NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS- INCLUDING...ALLAGASH...CLAYTON LAKE...DICKEY...BAXTER STATE PARK... RIPOGENUS DAM...CARIBOU...MADAWASKA...PRESQUE ISLE... HARDWOOD MOUNTAIN 1035 AM EDT FRI AUG 11 2000 \ SAT 08/12/00 \ SUN 08/13/00 \ EDT 15 18 21 00 03 06 09 12 15 18 21 00 03 06 09 12 15 18 21 00 03 06 POP 12HR 0 0 0 10 20 QPF 12HR 0 0 0 0 MAX QPF 0 0 0 0 SNOW 12HR 00-00 00-00 00-00 MN/MX 49 77 54 75 53 TEMP 71 73 69 60 55 52 52 61 71 75 72 64 60 57 61 67 75 72 DEWPT 36 36 39 42 44 45 46 48 49 48 49 51 52 52 55 57 57 57 RH 28 26 33 51 66 77 80 62 46 38 44 63 75 83 81 70 54 59 WIND DIR S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S WIND SPD 8 10 5 5 2 2 2 10 12 12 8 5 5 2 2 10 12 12 8 8 8 8 CLOUDS CL CL SC SC BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK BK \MON 08/14/00\TUE 08/15/00\WED 08/16/00 EDT 09 15 21 03 09 15 21 03 09 15 21 03 09 POP 12HR 40 40 40 40 30 30 MN/MX 72 56 77 57 77 57 CLOUDS BK BK BK BK BK BK RAIN SHWRS C C C C C C TSTMS C C C C S S $$ END OF EXAMPLE FURTHER DETAILS ON HOW TO INTERPRET THIS PRODUCT CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET WEB SITE AT /USE LOWER CASE/: WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/ER/RLX/PRODEX/RDFEXPLANATION.HTML IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT THESE NEW PRODUCTS... PLEASE CALL THE NWS CARIBOU OFFICE AT 207-496-0148...EXT 222 FOR LARRY GABRIC OR EXT 223 FOR HENDRICUS LULOFS. THIS NOTICE AND OTHER SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE ON THE INTERNET AT /USE LOWER CASE/: WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM END NNNN