- 2010: NWS unveiled a new hurricane scale this season called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The scale keeps the same wind speed ranges as the original Saffir-Simpson Scale for each of the five hurricane categories, but no longer ties specific storm surge and flooding effects to each category.
GOES-15, launched on March 4, 2010, from Cape Canaveral, Fla., joining three other NOAA operational GOES spacecraft that help the agency's forecasters track life-threatening weather.
Record-breaking rain struck Kentucky and the Tennessee Valley on May 1-2, resulting in widespread, devastating flash flooding across much of western and middle Tennessee, including the greater Nashville area. The heavy rain also resulted in unprecedented flooding along the Cumberland River and its tributaries. There were 26 fatalities directly attributed to the flooding, 11 of which were in greater Nashville. Preliminary estimates of property damage were in excess of $2 in greater Nashville alone.
- 2011: 2011 saw a record-breaking number of 10 separate weather, water and climate disasters, each with an economic loss of $1 billion or more. These included the Groundhog Day Blizzard of Jan 29-Feb 3, several devastating tornado outbreaks — including the one that produced an EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, Mo., which resulted in at least 160 deaths, making it the deadliest single tornado to strike the U.S. since modern tornado record keeping began in 1950 — and river flooding along the Mississippi, Missouri and Souris Rivers.
NWS launches a comprehensive initiative to build a Weather-Ready Nation to make America safer by saving more lives and protecting livelihoods as communities across the country become increasingly vulnerable to severe weather events, such as tornado outbreaks, intense heat waves, flooding, active hurricane seasons, and solar storms that threaten electrical and communication systems. The initiative is focused on helping people make better decisions with better information and will require not only improvements in the science and technology of the modernization era, but also the integration of social sciences and the improvements in partnership with other government agencies, researchers, and the private sector.
NWS ranks in the top 15 percent of federal agencies for customer satisfaction, according to a new public survey. With an essential public safety mission, the agency rated 84 on a scale of 0 to 100 – a score considered “excellent” by independent survey firm Claes Fornell International (CFI).
Hurricane Irene makes landfall over coastal N.C. before moving northward along the Mid-Atlantic Coast and causing torrential rainfall and flooding across the Northeast. Wind damage in coastal N.C., Va., and Md. was moderate with considerable damage resulting from falling trees and power lines, while flooding caused extensive flood damage across N.J., N.Y., and VT. More than seven million homes and businesses lost power during the storm. Numerous tornadoes were also reported in several states further adding to the damage. Over $7.0 billion in damages/costs; and at least 45 deaths were reported.
NWS began upgrading its network of Doppler radars throughout the nation with dual-polarization (Dual-Pol) capability, resulting in better estimation of heavy rainfall amounts in flooding events, improved hail detection in severe thunderstorms, and improved classification of precipitation types. Dual-Pol radar has the potential to improve forecasts and warnings and reduce the impact of hazardous weather on transportation. The upgrades are scheduled to be completed in early 2013.
NWS began using a sophisticated forecast model that substantially improves predictions of space weather impacts on Earth. Better forecasts offer additional protection for people and the technology-based infrastructure we use daily.
The National Research Council completes the first phase of a study on the NWS Modernization and Associated Restructuring effort of the 1990s. The NRC report concludes that the framework left in place from the modernization of the 1990s “allows and encourages the continued evolution of National Weather Service technology, and to some extent the workforce composition and culture.”
- 2013: Dr. Louis W. Uccellini becomes the 16th Director of the National Weather Service