In the early 1990's, the National Weather Service (NWS) began rigorous planning to migrate convective watch responsibility from the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) to NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFO's). Since then, customers expressed reservations about this initiative. NWS Regional Directors have also agreed that the convective watch decentralization timeline is too aggressive. The NWS Director has agreed that taking on full watch decentralization at this time would be a burden for both the NWS and its customers. Accordingly, Kelly has directed that phases II through IV of the watch decentralization be deferred until the early part of the next century when the main components of modernization will be operational. NWS will proceed with phase I of the watch decentralization that leaves watch responsibility with the SPC, but gives each WFO more authority in redefining and clearing watches. This process should strengthen the program while providing the NWS with customer feedback on the greater involvement of the WFO's.
Several stations have been added to the Domestic Data Service of the FOS. Two AWOS sites:
| Y29 | Glencoe, MN |
| PAGL | Golovin, Alaska |
METARS from an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico are available periodically:
| SID | Name | Lat | Long |
| GSM | Ship Shoal 207 | 28o32' N | 90o59' W |
Regional ETA model graphics are available at http://ws321.uncc.edu/data/wxp/eta. You can also find aviation tropical products out to 72 hours at this site. Tropical MRF products out to 384 hours will also be available there shortly.
NWS invites interested private sector constituents to attend and participate in a workshop from September 1-3, 1998, in Boulder Colorado. The workshop attendees will participate in a process to develop requirements for future NWS products and evaluate initial prototype products. The purpose of the workshop is to show how the NWS will prepare products in the future and provide a feedback process for defining the modernized product suite. There is a limited seating capacity for attendees. If you are interested in attending, contact scott.kiser@noaa.gov for more details.
In order to provide up to date information about current fire situations around the globe, NASA has unveiled a new web page that offers up to date synopses of current information about fires. This web site features revealing animation depicting wildfires. Since no single satellite or instrument provides optimal characteristics for fire monitoring , data are currently collected from several satellite systems. The new web site is located at:
http://modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov/fire_atlas/fires.html.
GOES-8 imagery of the Spencer South Dakota F4 tornado event and sounder products have been posted to the "GOES gallery" at http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/980530.html. The imager data show an enhanced v/warm wake cloud signature about twenty minutes before the first tornado report and that the convection may have been focused by pre-existing boundaries and a swath of wet ground left behind by convection earlier that day. The GOES sounder lifted index and precipitable water derived products reveal instability and ample moisture across the region prior to development of the tornadic cell development.
Imager to imager comparisions from the GOES 10 science test comparing GOES 8/9 imagers with the GOES 10 imager can be found on the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies home page at http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/g10_report.
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