Working Together to Save Lives:
NWS and National Park Service Alert Alaska Tourists to Rare Mid-Summer 'Winter Storm'

Did you know that winter storms can happen in the summer?

On July 17, 2003, a rare summer event brought Denali National Park Headquarters in Alaska its first measurable July snowfall in 80 years of record-keeping.

The Fairbanks, AK, Weather Forecast Office and Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center issued a special weather statement on July 12, 2003, alerting users to strong winds, snow, and heavy rain in the park and surrounding areas.

The NWS had 72 hours of lead time with hydrologic statements highlighting flood potential, 48 hours of lead time for river flood watches prior to flooding, and 12 hours lead time for river flood warnings.

"With the summer tourist and mountain climbing season well underway, this early notification was critical for the protection of life and property in the area," said Alaska Region Director Rich Przywarty.

The National Park Service relayed the information via cell phone to climbing parties on Mount McKinley, who then waited out the storm in the protection of a base camp at the 14,000-foot level. Below 1,500 feet, very heavy rain fell in the areas surrounding the park. The town of Cantwell reported 5.70 inches of water-equivalent precipitation from July 16-17, 2003, with other locations reporting from 2.5 inches to 4.0 inches. Rivers and streams, already full from glaciers melting during record heat in early July, were pushed to near bank-full.

The most significant damage due to flooding was to the Alaska Railroad tracks, which were washed out in several locations by small-stream flooding. Damage estimates for track repair are upwards of $600,000 with the Alaska Railroad reporting another $400,000 in lost passenger revenue while track repairs were being made.

Thrift Savings Plan 'Catch-Up' Opportunity Begins

Federal employees age 50 and over can increase their annual Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contributions by up to $2,000 during 2003. NOAA employees who are eligible should use the Employee Express system to elect to increase their TSP contribution. According to a recent Department of Commerce e-mail message, Employee Express will be "ready to accept elections no earlier than July 28, 2003. Elections submitted in July become effective during the first full pay period in August 2003."

Employee Express is accessible via the Internet at http://www.employeeexpress.gov. Read the previous NOAA's NWS Focus TSP catch-up article here.

New Marine Wind Guidance Available to Forecasters and Customers

The Meteorological Development Laboratory recently began operational production of new Model Output Statistics (MOS) Marine wind guidance, based on output of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction's (NCEP's) Global Forecast System model. This product marks the first significant update to the Model Output Statistics guidance for marine winds since the existing system based on the Nested Grid Model (NGM) was instituted in the early 1990s.

The MOS Marine product essentially doubles the number of sites for which there was forecast guidance available with the NGM. A significant number of the additional stations are in regions that previously had little or no coverage, such as Alaska, Hawaii, and the Great Lakes. In addition to this increase in spatial resolution, the temporal resolution is an improvement over what was available with the NGM. Forecasts for the NGM were produced twice daily with guidance out to 48 hours at six-hour resolution. NCEP produces the new Marine MOS four times daily with guidance out to 84 hours at three-hour resolution.

"During the time leading up to implementation, many forecasters and others with marine interests expressed excitement at the prospect of having such a product," said Chris McAloon of the NWS's Office of Science and Technology. "This development came about as a first step toward increasing the resolution of forecast guidance for the Interactive Forecast Preparation System. Not only will this guidance benefit NWS forecasters at Weather Forecast Offices, but it will also benefit forecasters at NCEP's Tropical Prediction Center and Ocean Prediction Center."

The new product includes forecasts of wind direction and speed, and wind speed adjusted to a measurement height of 10 meters, for 121 marine sites located in and around the continental United States, Alaska, and Hawaii. The forecast messages are distributed to Weather Forecast Offices, military, and Family of Services users.

Updated List Covers New NWS Directives

In the last month, two dozen new NWS directives have been posted, including directives on topics such as Marine and Coastal Weather Services, Labor Management Relations, and Human Capital, and instructions on topics such as Marine Weather, several Weather Products specifications, and Internal Communications.

For the full list of new directives, instructions and regional supplements, follow this link.

Weather Camp Gives High School Students a View of Career Choices
By Rikkita Russell and Tanya Jackson, Weather Camp Coordinators, and Priti Brahma, NWS

A dozen Washington, DC-area high school students came away from the NOAA Center for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS) 2nd annual Weather Camp at Howard University July 6 - 18, 2003, with a better appreciation for career options in the atmospheric sciences. Toward the end of the camp, during a luncheon with NWS Deputy Director John Jones, a student indicated his participation in the weather camp had led him to consider meteorology for his career. The two-week camp included discussions, activities, experiments, and field trips. The students traveled to various locations such as the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), the Sterling, VA, Weather Forecast Office, WRC-TV, and Mitretek, and studied topics ranging from satellite exploration and storm tracking to radar placements and behind-the-camera forecasting. Not only did they learn of summer internship opportunities at Mitretek and NWS, but they were also featured on the afternoon news by Veronica Johnson at WRC-TV.

Weather Camp participants performed experiments in Howard University laboratories and wrote detailed lab reports explaining their procedures. The students also used online data to make a weather prediction for the following day, which was incorporated in the daily Verizon telephone company weather recording. The participants learned how to analyze weather maps by charting wind directions and identifying weather patterns under the tutelage of Mike Mogil, director of educational programs at Stormcenter Communications, Inc. For recreation, the students enjoyed Six Flags of America, roller-skating, and evening movies.

Camp participants completed final projects by investigating a weather phenomenon, using a case study to explain how the phenomenon affected a major city, and giving oral and written presentations of their results. Presentations were judged by NCAS Director Vernon Morris, Priti Brahma of the NWS, and Terrie Bowen, NCAS Program Manager. First place winners presented their projects at the formal Weather Camp Banquet in front of their parents and invited guests from NOAA. The banquet keynote speaker, NCEP Director Louis Uccellini, provided an inspiring speech to the attendees.

David Pace from the Federal Aviation Administration Aviation Weather Program commented,"it was a pleasure addressing the Weather Camp participants.... Their insightful questions indicated that they not only grasped what we were telling them, but also that they were able to correlate our information with their own knowledge to draw logical conclusions."

The students left Weather Camp with Weather Camp- and NOAA- logoed items, Certificates of Completion, a well-deserved $400 stipend, and friendships and memories to last a lifetime.

Also On the Web...Forecaster Profiled in Florida Newspaper

Forecasting summer storms in Florida is serious work according to Eric Zappe, one of the lead forecasters at the Jacksonville, FL, Weather Forecast Office. Read the Gainesville Sun's recent profile of Zappe and his work in the forecast office by clicking here.