As a result of FY 1997 budget reductions, a number of products currently available from three NCEP Centers will be eliminated beginning in early June. Specifically, the budget reduction affects the frequency of production of a number of products from the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC), the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), and the Marine Prediction Center (MPC). We are proceeding with notification of customers through a number of means to assure at least 30 days notice.
At the HPC, the frequency of production of the North American Surface Weather Analysis will decrease from 8 to 6 times daily; the Pacific Ocean Surface Weather Analysis updates from 4 to 2 times daily; storm summary updates from 4 to 2 times daily. In addition holiday forecast summaries will be eliminated.
At the CPC, the climate dial-up service will be eliminated. In addition, the National Weather Service (NWS) will no longer maintain software that converts outlook probabilities to specific units of rainfall or degrees of temperature at specific locations.
At the MPC, 96 hour surface and 500 mb forecasts for the Atlantic and Pacific will cease. The Sea State Analyses for the Atlantic and Pacific will no longer be produced during the midnight shift. Finally, the aviation area forecast over the western North Atlantic will be eliminated.
Specific chart numbers and times of production of the above charts as well as firm dates for elimination will be available at the following URL: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/notif.htm.
On April 17, 1997, the Department of Commerce reprogrammed $715,000 to maintain staff positions at the Tropical Prediction Center, the Storm Prediction Center, and the Aviation Weather Center through the end of this fiscal year (September 30, 1997).
On April 25, 1997, a "Dome-Up" ceremony took place at the location for the new WSR-88D radar near Hytop, Alabama. This Doppler radar will serve Northeast Alabama, Southeast Tennessee, and Northwest Georgia. It is one of three additional radars recommended by the Secretary's Report to Congress on "Adequacy of NEXRAD Coverage and Degradation of Weather Services under National Weather Service Modernization for 32 Areas of Concern" issued in October 1999. The Alabama radar should be operational in mid-July 1997.
The second GOES-9 Winding motor mitigation was completed on the morning of April 23, 1997. Maximum temperatures on the imager scan mirror were reduced by eight degrees as expected.
GOES-8 sea surface temperatures (SST's) are now being produced routinely surrounding the continental U.S. They will soon be available via the internet. The SST's are estimated using a statistical regression based on buoy-collocated data from September 1996 through March 1997.
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