NWS Corporate Board Meets June 24-26

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere James R. Mahoney and Northwestern University Sociologist Alan Fine meet with the NWS Corporate Board this week during the Board's quarterly meeting in Silver Spring, MD.

"The meeting this quarter, although shortened to 2½ days, will cover a lot of ground," said Office of Operational Systems Director John McNulty, who is chairing this Board Meeting. "Highlights of the Board's agenda include discussions of the NOAA Program Review, Survey Feedback Action [SFA] results, and a review of a book by Richard Hamermesh called Fad Free Management."

The NWS Corporate Board is comprised of the NWS Director and Deputy Director as well as Senior Executive Service-level Regional and Office Directors, the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, and the Director of Strategic Planning and Policy. The group's functions are similar to those of a board of directors in a corporation, and it collectively votes on what it believes is best for the National Weather Service.

Local NWS forecasters are receiving more timely forecast guidance thanks to a server upgrade at the NCEP Network Control Facility. The upgrade has produced a dramatic improvement in the delivery times for forecast model output to the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS). AWIPS is the central nervous system of NWS forecast operations and the information technology network that carries data to NWS offices.

Prior to the upgrade, the average time required for delivery of NCEP model grids to AWIPS was 20 minutes, with a maximum delay of 85 minutes during each of the four global model runs. The average delay has been reduced to 8 minutes, with a maximum delay of only 16 minutes. These delays represent a total end-to-end time from the creation of the products on the NCEP IBM SP supercomputer to their availability for display on AWIPS.

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Central Region Plans AHPS Interactive Workshops

On July 10-11, 2002, Central Region Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (AHPS) users, River Forecast Center (RFC) forecasters and forecast office personnel will meet in Indianapolis, IN, for an interactive workshop on AHPS. Workshop objectives are to: 1) enable RFC forecasters to see how their forecasts are used at forecast offices and elsewhere; 2) help forecast office personnel understand the process and content of probabilistic forecasts issued by RFCs; and 3) promote understanding of how existing and potential customers can use AHPS forecasts in their work. Central Region plans to hold six such workshops during the coming months to enable personnel to understand the end use of NWS hydrologic forecasts and help improve service to users. For more information contact Shripad D. Deo, W/CR2, 816-891-7734, ext. 212.

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Finance Center Revamping Personal Page Format

The National Finance Center, which manages NOAA employee payroll activities, is developing a revamped Employee Personal Page format. Each employee with Internet access can establish a personal page and have online access to pay and benefits information. Information on how to sign up is available at the NFC website.

For employees who already have their own personal page, you can follow this link to see what the new format looks like: https://www.nfc.usda.gov/epp_demo/index2.asp.

NWS Alumni Gather in Eastern Region

More than 75 current and retired NWS employees and friends attended the seventh NWS Eastern Region Reunion held on June 3, 2002, at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, Long Island, NY.

Of the 75 attendees, all but 4 were retirees. Two former Eastern Region Deputy Directors attended, Dave Coveny and Walt Siebert, as well as five former MICs: Harold Gibson, WSFO New York City (who traveled from Colorado to attend); Ross LaPorte, WSFO Washington, DC; Jim Vollkommer, WSFO Portland, ME; Marian Peleski, WSO Wilmington, DE; Fred Davis, WSO Baltimore, MD; and Tom McGuire, WSFO Boston, MA.

"We had a beautiful day for the event," said Dean Gulezian, NWS Eastern Region Director. "And it was a great chance to catch up with old friends."

Click here to see a few pictures from the event.

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Forecaster Braves June Snow to Bowl in Tournament

Also On the Web...

On June 4, 2002, the Emergency Management Office from the Carolina Municipality in Puerto Rico dedicated the first week of the 2002 hurricane season to the WFO San Juan staff. The plaque presented to the staff read as follows: "For Your Distinguished Services in Protecting Life and Property of the Citizens of Puerto Rico." For more information and pictures of the presentation ceremony, see the WFO San Juan homepage. Congratulations to WFO San Juan!