NOUS41 KWBC 161159
PNSWSH

SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 07-13
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
800 AM EDT FRI MAR 16 2007

TO:        FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER
           WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...EMERGENCY
           MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/
           SUBSCRIBERS...NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...NATIONAL WEATHER
           SERVICE /NWS/ PARTNERS AND OTHER USERS...AND NWS
           EMPLOYEES

FROM:      THOMAS GRAZIANO
           ACTING CHIEF...HYDROLOGIC SERVICES DIVISION

SUBJECT:   NATIONWIDE IMPLEMENTATION OF EXPERIMENTAL VALID TIME
           EVENT CODE /VTEC/ IN FLOOD PRODUCTS FOR FORECAST
           POINTS EFFECTIVE JUNE 5 2007

REFER TO:  SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE /SCN/ 06-10 TRANSMITTED
           FEBRUARY 14 2006 AND SCN 06-23 TRANSMITTED
           JUNE 20 2006

EFFECTIVE JUNE 5 2007 AT 1200 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME 
/UTC/...ALL NWS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES /WFO/ WILL BE INCLUDING 
EXPERIMENTAL VTEC IN THEIR FLOOD PRODUCTS FOR FORECAST POINTS. 
THE AFFECTED FLOOD PRODUCTS ARE THE FOLLOWING:

     FLOOD WARNING FOR FORECAST POINTS /FLW/
     FLOOD STATEMENT - FOLLOW UP TO FLOOD WARNING FOR FORECAST   
        POINTS /FLS/  
     FLOOD ADVISORY FOR FORECAST POINTS /FLS/
     FLOOD WATCH FOR FORECAST POINTS /FFA/

AS CITED IN SCN 06-10...NUMEROUS WFOS HAVE ALREADY BEEN ISSUING 
THESE PRODUCTS WITH EXPERIMENTAL HYDROLOGIC VTEC SINCE APRIL 
2006 AS PART OF A RISK REDUCTION ACTIVITY. BY THE END OF THIS 
RISK REDUCTION ACTIVITY...40 WFOS WERE INCLUDING EXPERIMENTAL 
VTEC IN THEIR FLOOD PRODUCTS FOR FORECAST POINTS AND CONTINUE TO 
DO SO. ON JUNE 5 2007 ALL 122 WFOS WILL BE INCLUDING 
EXPERIMENTAL VTEC IN THEIR FLOOD PRODUCTS FOR FORECAST POINTS. 
THIS MEANS 82 ADDITIONAL WFOS WILL START INCLUDING EXPERIMENTAL 
VTEC IN THESE PRODUCTS ON THAT DATE. NOTE: EXPERIMENTAL VTEC 
FOLLOWS ALL VTEC STANDARDS...BUT USES THE EXPERIMENTAL /X/ 
PRODUCT CLASS CODE.

ON TUESDAY JULY 17 2007...VTEC WILL BECOME OFFICIALLY 
OPERATIONAL IN FLOOD PRODUCTS FOR FORECAST POINTS FROM ALL 122 
WFOS. THE ONLY CHANGE TAKING PLACE ON THIS DATE WILL BE A SWITCH 
FROM USING THE EXPERIMENTAL /X/ PRODUCT CLASS CODE TO THE 
OPERATIONAL /O/ PRODUCT CLASS CODE.

THESE DATES FOR NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION OF VTEC IN FLOOD 
PRODUCTS FOR FORECAST POINTS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LATER THAN THE 
FALL 2006 DATE ANNOUNCED IN SCN 06-23. MORE TIME WAS NEEDED TO 
ENSURE VTEC WAS READY FOR THESE PRODUCTS.

THE LATEST AVAILABLE INFORMATION ON IMPLEMENTATION OF VTEC IN 
ALL NWS HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS CAN BE FOUND ON THE HYDROLOGIC VTEC 
WEBSITE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/VTEC/HYDRO_VTEC.SHTML

TO SUBSCRIBE TO NOTIFICATIONS VIA RSS FEED WHEN ANY ITEM ON THE 
HYDROLOGIC VTEC WEBSITE IS UPDATED...CLICK THE RSS/XML LOG AT 
THE TOP OF THE WEB PAGE....OR ADD THE FOLLOWING RSS FEED URL: 
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/VTEC/HYDRO/HYDROVTEC.XML.RSS /USE 
LOWER CASE LETTERS/ TO YOUR RSS READER TO SUBSCRIBE.

GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON VTEC CAN BE FOUND AT THE VTEC 
WEB SITE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/VTEC

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...PLEASE CONTACT:

     TIM HELBLE 
     NATIONAL HYDROLOGIC POLICY PROGRAM LEADER 
     SILVER SPRING MD 
     PHONE:  301-713-0006 EXT. 152 
     E-MAIL: TIMOTHY.HELBLE@NOAA.GOV

THIS AND OTHER NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE 
AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/NOTIF.HTM 

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