Straight Talk:
Surface Transportation Update

Recently, I attended a ceremony at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) where the NOAA and FHWA Administrators signed an agreement for our agencies to work more closely together to address surface weather transportation issues.  Each year, 7,000 deaths, 1.4 million crashes, and $42 billion in economic loss are attributed to adverse weather on our Nation's roads and highways.  The NWS's Mike Campbell is NOAA's program manager for surface transportation under the Commerce and Transportation Goal, as well as the observing services programmer.

Partnerships with the FHWA and the Intelligent Transportation Systems of America have resulted in demonstration projects to develop and assess data, information and dissemination capabilities to reduce weather-related crashes and delays.  Even though most states have surface observation networks to support transportation safety, these observations are not generally available to us -- or the weather enterprise as a whole.

Through our partnership with the FHWA we are one step closer to adding these networks to ISOS – the Integrated Surface Observing System, and a Global Earth Observation System of Systems.

Back to Top

Digital Services Update: NDFD Usage Is Explored While Expansion Continues

By Christopher Hedge
Digital Services (on a NOAA Rotational Assignment Program detail)
NWS Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services

Recent statistics reveal that the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD) has become an important service being utilized by numerous partners, customers, and individuals.

Digital data from the NDFD-XML web service is being obtained more than six million times per month. XML, or Extensible Markup Language, allows programmers to easily access NDFD data and reformat it for use on web pages, cell phones and other digital devices. NDFD grids are also frequently acquired in their native gridded binary (GRIB2) format. During June 2005, over 43,000 NDFD files were downloaded in this way from 353 unique Internet addresses. Data from the last several months indicate the most frequently downloaded NDFD gridded forecast elements are Temperature and Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF). File downloads peak between 2300 and 0100 Coordinated Universal Time. The most viewed domain area is the CONUS sector, followed by the southeast and northeast subsectors. Private weather providers and energy companies are the organizations most commonly downloading NDFD files.

The vast majority of those viewing the NDFD graphics are individual users (i.e. private citizens). This is followed by users from business and industry, academia, and state/local governments. The technical quality and usefulness of the graphics were rated very highly in a survey of individual customers and partners.

The NDFD continues to evolve with improvements to the consistency, timeliness, and content of the grid elements. The six operational elements already in place for the CONUS, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico will become operational for Guam on September 14, 2005 (September 15th local Guam time). These are: Temperature, Maximum and Minimum Temperature, Dewpoint, Weather, and 12-hour Probability of Precipitation. Efforts are moving forward to provide gridded forecasts for Alaska, furthering a Digital Services goal to provide the same level of service across the country.

NDFD forecasts elements which remain in experimental status for all domains except Alaska (Anchorage and Juneau display graphics generated from the grids for viewing on their web sites) include:

• Sky Cover
• QPF
• Snow Amount
• Wind Direction
• Wind Speed
• Significant Wave Height
• Relative Humidity
• Apparent Temperature

Although budget constraints may limit some activities, Digital Services has ambitious plans slated for the next few years. Some of these projects include: an experimental GIS/XML interface, web page enhancements, expanding the domain of marine areas, and developing new experimental grids such as hazardous weather outlooks and probability forecasts. Digital Services will also continue to provide forecasters with more training opportunities and conduct important outreach activities. With the increasing demand for digital data, this remains an interesting and exciting time for Digital Services.

Back to Top

Hand-Held, NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards Receiver Alerts Security, Evacuating 200 People Near Outdoor Concert

By Marcie Katcher
NWS Eastern Region Public Affairs Officer

Residents and visitors to Erie, PA, avoided an eerie and dangerous event during a severe thunderstorm on July 26, 2005, thanks to NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards and the quick thinking of Dennis Stazer, Head of Security at the Erie Port Authority.

NOAA's National Weather Service in Cleveland issued a severe thunderstorm warning on the afternoon of July 26, 2005, which was received by the hand-held NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver used by Stazer, and he immediately took action.

Dennis Stazer (left), Head of Security at Erie Port Authority pictured with a hand-held NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver at the Perry Landing dock. The dock was the site of a recent severe weather event where people were moved to shelter thanks to a warning Stazer picked up on his radio. Photo by William Modzelewski, National Weather Service, Erie, PA.

An outdoor concert was being held at the Pepsi Amphitheater, near the Perry Landing docks with nearly 200 people waiting in the area along Lake Front. There were also several people in boats anchored along the dock in anticipation of the upcoming concert. Stazer quickly relayed the warning information to the people assembled and sent them to shelter.

The storm hit Erie thirteen minutes later. Winds ripped through the area at 60 to 70 miles per hour and caused extensive damage to several boats and structures along the lake shore. Several people who were waiting on the dock to hear the concert avoided disaster as the storm destroyed the structure while it whipped its wicked path through Erie. A television news report said there were 20 to 25 boats anchored to the docks at the time of the storm, worth approximately $25 million dollars.

Thanks to the warning and the actions of Stazer, no one was injured in this area. There were two other minor injuries in other parts of the city but none along the lake front.

"I always listen to NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards to monitor weather conditions for our events and the hand-held radio is very convenient. The warning was responsible for the security staff taking action and helped avoid the tragedy of any fatalities," Stazer commented. "We really appreciate the work of the National Weather Service and its Cleveland office. They help us monitor weather conditions along the lake front, the backdrop for so many of our community events."

Back to Top

Children's Drawings Sought for World Meteorological Organization Publication

Children's drawings with a weather theme are being sought by the World Meteorological Organization, which plans to publish selected entries in an album titled Weather by Children.

Entries may be drawings, paintings, or graphics that "reflect the beauty of weather and clouds, the work of meteorologists and hydrologists, meteorological and hydrologic instruments, the role of weather forecasting in disaster mitigation, and children's understanding of environmental issues related to weather, climate, and water." According to a WMO news release, the scope of topics is deliberately wide to give kids room for their imaginations and creativity to shine.

Children and youth under age 16 can enter their original piece of art. Entries must be received by NWS Headquarters by November 1, 2005. Each entry should be marked with the child's full name, date of birth (day/month/year), title of the artwork, size of the artwork, and any background information on the artwork. Also identify your NWS office and list the name and contact information if additional information is needed. Send entries by mail (on paper or CD) to: NOAA/NWS Headquarters, (W/IA), ATTN: William Bolhofer, 1325 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or, to send electronically, in the e-mail subject line write "WMO Art Work" and send to William.Bolhofer@noaa.gov. Entries cannot be returned.

Entries will be judged at NWS Headquarters and three will be selected to represent the United States.

Back to Top

Also On the Web...
Digital Services Used for Wildfire Forecasts

The Pueblo, CO, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) developed a web page describing the office’s use of digital services for the recent Mason Gulch Fire. Support for the wildfire came from the digital forecast database. Near the beginning of the wildfire, WFO Pueblo placed a sample point at the wildfire's latitude and longitude on the office's Internet forecast graphics. Pueblo has developed an experimental fire weather Point Forecast Matrix (PFM) text product call the PFW. The PFW has served the office's fire weather customers for the last two years, and reflects the digital forecast database for specific forecast points. Read more here.

Back to Top

Snapshots

Click here for a look at photos we've received from around the NWS.