Straight Talk:
House Science Committee Hearing on Recent Gulf Hurricanes

On October 7, Max Mayfield and I testified before the House Science Committee about NOAA Hurricane Forecasting. It was a moving experience for me to listen to the comments from the Members. Each and every member had strong praise for the NWS workforce and the forecasts and warnings we provided.

Many of the Members were highly emotional in expressing gratitude to the National Weather Service for saving the lives of their constituents. One Member was so choked with emotion in expressing his thanks that he couldn't speak and had difficulty restoring his composure. Others voiced support for FY 06 funding for NOAA along the lines of the higher amounts approved by the Senate.

The sense of the Members can be summarized by comments from the Chairman of the Committee, Representative Sherman Boehlert, who stated "...the National Weather Service performed magnificently in tracking Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and in providing information before, during, and after the hurricanes made landfall. Max Mayfield was the indispensable man in the lead-up to the storms, and we owe the entire staff of the National Weather Service a debt of gratitude."

I echo the sentiment from Congress -- you are a shining example of the best in Government. I, and the people of our Nation, thank you for all your hard work, which isn't isolated to just these high profile storms.

The entire hearing is available as a webcast on the C-SPAN web site (search for the House Science Committee Hearing on Hurricane Prediction, 10/07/2005)

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NOAA and USGS to Conduct Pilot Project for Flash Flood, Debris Flow Warnings

A pilot project in Southern California between the NWS and the U.S. Geological Survey is aimed at improving forecasts of potential debris flows, also known as mud flows. The project's goal is to provide public warnings of imminent threat in and near areas recently burned by wildfires.

The pilot project was announced as the agencies released the NOAA-USGS Debris Flow Warning System report, which outlines an initial plan for the prototype, and identifies the potential for expanding the warning system nationwide by developing improved technologies to characterize flash flood and debris flow hazards. These will be combined with existing methods used by NWS to forecast and measure precipitation.

Read the complete NOAA/USGS news release here.

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Dental and Vision Benefits for Feds, Retirees to be Available December 2006

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently announced that dental and vision benefits will be available to federal employees and federal retirees in December 2006, following an enrollment open season to begin that autumn.

In a news release posted at http://www.fednews-online.com/?publicationId=8389, OPM set the open season enrollment for this new and anticipated benefits program to coincide with the annual enrollment periods OPM conducts for the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) program.

Eligible individuals will be able to choose benefits that cover dental care, vision care, or both. In addition, coverage can be elected for the enrollee only, the enrollee plus one other person, or the enrollee and his or her family.

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NWS Recognizes First StormReady State in Continental U.S.

The NWS recently honored Delaware's emergency management team for completing a set of rigorous criteria necessary to earn the entire state the distinction of being StormReady. All three counties in Delaware, as well as the City of Wilmington, earned the StormReady designation, making Delaware the first state in the continental U.S. to achieve StormReady status (Hawaii became the first StormReady state in 2005).

After the Delaware StormReady event, Senator Carper visited the National Weather Service booth at Coast Day. Pictured from left: Margaret Fowke, NWS Strategic Planning and Policy Office; Deborah Ann Jones, Outreach Coordinator, NWS Marine and Coastal Weather Services; Tim Schott, Meteorologist, NWS Marine and Coastal Weather Services; Jim Eberwine, Marine Program Leader, Weather Forecast Office Mount Holly; Senator Tom Carper of Delaware; Mickey Brown, Deputy Regional Director, NWS Eastern Region; and Joe Miketta, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Weather Forecast Office Mount Holly (NOAA staff photo).

NWS officials led by Brig. Gen. D.L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), NWS Director, presented a StormReady recognition plaque and special StormReady signs to emergency preparedness officials during the October 2, 2005, ceremony on the University of Delaware campus in Lewes, in conjunction with Coast Day, an annual event that draws over 10,000 people.

From the podium, Eastern Region's Deputy Director Mickey Brown noted that many NOAA line offices, including NWS, the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA Sea Grant Program, National Climatic Data Center, NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, NOAA Marine and Aviation Operations, and National Ocean Service participated in this year's Coast Day.

In her speech, Delaware Governor Ruth Ann Minner claimed responsibility for the day's magnificent weather. Based upon that courageous act, General Johnson presented her with an NWS coin and made her an honorary weatherperson. He also mentioned that she would therefore have responsibility for the upcoming winter weather and the claiming thereof.

Other guests at the ceremony included: U.S. Senator Tom Carper; Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security Secretary David B. Mitchell; Director of Delaware Emergency Management Agency Jamie Turner; National Centers for Environmental Prediction Director Louis Uccellini; WFO Mount Holly, NJ, Meteorologist-In-Charge Gary S. Szatkowski; and Mount Holly Warning Coordination Meteorologist Joseph Miketta.

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WFO Buffalo Initiates U.S./Canadian Gridded Digital Services Effort

The Buffalo, NY, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) recently hosted the inaugural meeting for Great Lakes Gridded Marine Forecast Collaboration between the NWS and Meteorological Services of Canada (MSC).

To better serve maritime customers in the Great Lakes, a joint effort by MSC and the NWS forecast offices will focus on enhancing collaboration and accomplishing the long-term goal of providing near-seamless marine forecasts spanning the borders along the Great Lakes Region.

The Great Lakes are traversed by large, ocean going vessels from all parts of the world. Ship captains rely on consistent, accurate forecasts to guide them through the often treacherous waters of these "inland seas." However, because the international border bisects this region, marine forecast responsibility is shared by Canada and the United States.

Participants in the National Weather Service-Meteorological Services of Canada Collaboration for Gridded Great Lakes Marine Forecasts gathered recently at the Buffalo, NY, Weather Forecast Office.

For the initial demonstration, U.S. and Canadian forecasters from offices in Buffalo and Toronto, Ontario, will collaborate on gridded marine forecasts over Lake Ontario. This demonstration will provide an opportunity to enhance the collaboration by exchanging forecast information between the two offices in real time using the NOAA's Forecast Systems Laboratory (FSL) FX-Collaborate technology. This workstation application provides capabilities and tools for displaying gridded forecast and guidance data, interactively manipulating graphical data, annotating and editing, and text chat functionality for collaboration between remote sites.

The September 22 meeting included forecasters and information technology experts from both the Buffalo and Toronto weather offices. Representatives from the NWS Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services (OCCWS) Marine and Coastal Weather Services Branch were on hand to provide national leadership for the demonstration project. Experts from FSL demonstrated the FX-Collaborate software system capabilities for collaboration of the gridded marine forecasts.

The project is an outgrowth of the longstanding cooperation between U.S. and Canadian weather services. It addresses NOAA's Strategic Goal of Leading International Activities to establish a partnership between U.S. Federal Agencies and Foreign Countries. It also works toward Integrating Global Environmental Observations and data management into our operations.

Michael Moss Named NOAA Employee Member of the Month

Michael S. Moss, AWIPS Support Branch, NWS Office of Operational Systems, was NOAA's Employee of the Month for September. According to the award citation:

"For more than 20 years, Dr. Michael Moss has been the foremost technical expert on computer systems used by NOAA's National Weather Service field office forecasters to analyze hydrometeorological data sets and compose and transmit forecasts and severe weather warnings to the public. Mike's extensive education in meteorology and computer science, coupled with his wide-ranging experience in all aspects of NWS operations and Information Technology architecture are invaluable in solving technological issues in the field and in helping diagnose complex system-wide anomalies of the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System. The work Mike has done to identify and resolve AWIPS issues that could delay severe weather warnings has greatly improved the rapid and timely availability of AWIPS data to forecasters. His good humor and eagerness to assist his fellow Site Support Team members has been a great inspiration within the AWIPS Branch."

Read a profile of Moss in the September 2005 issue of NOAA Report.

Coin Corner

To recognize excellence, Brig. Gen. D.L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), NWS Director, awards one of his commemorative coins. The personalized coins, which bear the NOAA logo, are a tradition borrowed from the military. In occasional NWS Focus features, we will recognize some of the chosen few who have earned a Director's coin.

In the meantime, here is the list of those who have earned coins for their outstanding work. Add a bookmark for this list to your browser--we will update the list from time to time:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/nwsfocus/coincorner.htm

Snapshots

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