NOUS41 KWBC 021708 PNSWSH SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 07-15 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC 110 PM EDT MON APR 2 2007 TO: FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS AND PARTNERS...NWS EMPLOYEES FROM: ELI JACKS CHIEF...FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH SUBJECT: BOUNDARY CHANGES OF PUBLIC WEATHER ZONES IN WASHINGTON AND OREGON...EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1 2007 EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY AUGUST 1 2007 AT 1200 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME /UTC/...THE NWS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE /WFO/ IN PORTLAND OREGON /PQR/ WILL ADD A NEW ZONE THAT COVERS THE UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY IN OREGON AND RECONFIGURE SOME OTHER ZONES IN OREGON AND WASHINGTON AS DETAILED BELOW. THE PURPOSE OF THESE CHANGES IS TO IMPROVE WARNINGS AND FORECASTS FOR THE UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY AS WELL AS INCLUDING A BETTER REPRESENTATION OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADE AREA. ONCE THESE CHANGES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED...THE FOLLOWING GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTORS WILL BE USED IN ALL PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST PRODUCTS ISSUED BY PORTLAND FOR THE AFFECTED ZONES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE WASHINGTON-OREGON BORDER: /1/ ZONE NUMBER ZONE DESCRIPTOR ORZ014 /NEW/ UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY REPRESENTS THE UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY BOUNDED ON THE NORTH BY THE WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE. THE EASTERN...SOUTHERN AND WESTERN BOUNDARIES APPROXIMATELY FOLLOW THE 2500 FOOT ELEVATION CONTOUR. THE ZONE INCLUDES THE COMMUNITY OF PARKDALE OR. /2/ ZONE NUMBER ZONE DESCRIPTOR ORZ011 NORTH OREGON CASCADES REPRESENTS THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS IN NORTH CENTRAL OR...TO INCLUDE GOVERNMENT CAMP...DETROIT AND SANTIAM PASS. BOUNDED ON THE EAST BY THE CASCADE CREST AND ON THE WEST BY THE CASCADE FOOTHILLS. BOUNDED ON THE SOUTH BY THE LINN-LANE COUNTY LINE AND ON THE NORTH BY THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND UPPER HOOD RIVER VALLEY. /3/ ZONE NUMBER ZONE DESCRIPTOR ORZ009/WAZ023 WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE REPRESENTS THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE BOUNDED ON THE EAST BY THE HOOD RIVER-WASCO COUNTY LINE IN OREGON AND THE SKAMANIA- KLICKITAT COUNTY LINE IN WASHINGTON. IN OREGON...THE WESTERN BOUNDARY IS APPROXIMATELY 1 MILE WEST OF CORBETT OR. IN WASHINGTON...THE EASTERN BOUNDARY IS APPROXIMATELY THE EASTERN CITY LIMITS OF WASHOUGHAL WA. THE NORTH AND SOUTH BOUNDARIES ARE 3 MILES EITHER SIDE OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER...WHICH INCLUDES THE OREGON COMMUNITIES OF HOOD RIVER...CASCADE LOCKS AND CORBETT...AND THE WASHINGTON COMMUNITIES OF STEVENSON...SKAMANIA AND CARSON. /4/ ZONE NUMBER ZONE DESCRIPTOR WAZ019 SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADES REPRESENTS THE CASCADE MOUNTAINS IN SOUTH CENTRAL WA...TO INCLUDE MT ST HELENS...COLDWATER VISITORS CENTER AND THE WIND RIVER VALLEY. BOUNDED ON THE EAST BY THE SKAMANIA...KLICKITAT AND YAKIMA COUNTY LINES. /5/ ZONE NUMBER ZONE DESCRIPTOR WAZ040 SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADE FOOTHILLS REPRESENTS THE FOOTHILLS OF EASTERN AND NORTHERN CLARK COUNTY... EASTERN COWLITZ COUNTY AND SOUTHWEST SKAMANIA COUNTY WA. INCLUDES THE COMMUNITIES OF COUGAR AND AMBOY AND MERWIN AND YALE RESERVOIRS. /6/ ZONE NUMBER ZONE DESCRIPTOR WAZ039 GREATER VANCOUVER AREA GENERALLY INCLUDES THE GREATER VANCOUVER AREA OF CLARK COUNTY. BOUNDED BY THE COLUMBIA RIVER TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADE FOOTHILLS TO THE EAST. INCLUDES THE COMMUNITIES OF VANCOUVER...CAMAS AND WASHOUGHAL. /7/ ZONE NUMBER ZONE DESCRIPTOR ORZ006 GREATER PORTLAND METRO AREA INCLUDES THE GREATER PORTLAND METRO AREA. BOUNDED ON THE WEST BY THE EAST FOOTHILLS OF THE OREGON COAST RANGE AND ON THE EAST BY THE NORTH OREGON CASCADE FOOTHILLS. BOUNDED ON THE NORTH BY THE COLUMBIA RIVER AND TO THE SOUTH BY THE YAMHILL-WASHINGTON COUNTY LINE AND NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF BEAVER CREEK IN CLACKAMAS COUNTY. INCLUDES NORTHWEST CLACKAMAS COUNTY...EASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY...MULTNOMAH COUNTY /ALL BUT EXTREME EAST/ AND EXTREME SOUTHEAST COLUMBIA COUNTY. THE CURRENT AND FUTURE ZONE NUMBERS AND NAMES ARE SUMMARIZED IN TABLE 1. NWS CUSTOMERS WILL BE REQUIRED TO MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES TO THEIR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS TO ACCOMMODATE THESE ZONE CHANGES. TABLE 1: ZONE CHANGES FOR THE WFO PORTLAND FORECAST AREA... EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1 2007. OREGON ZONES CURRENT CURRENT FUTURE FUTURE ZONE NO. ZONE NAME ZONE NO. ZONE NAME ORZ006 GREATER PORTLAND ORZ006 GREATER PORTLAND METRO AREA METRO AREA ORZ009 WEST COLUMBIA RIVER ORZ009 WESTERN COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE GORGE ORZ011 NORTH OREGON CASCADES ORZ011 NORTH OREGON CASCADES /NONE/ ORZ014 UPPER HOOD RIVER /NEW/ VALLEY WASHINGTON ZONES CURRENT CURRENT FUTURE FUTURE ZONE NO. ZONE NAME ZONE NO. ZONE NAME WAZ019 SOUTH WASHINGTON WAZ019 SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADES CASCADES WAZ023 WESTERN COLUMBIA WAZ023 WEST COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE RIVER GORGE WAZ039 GREATER VANCOUVER WAZ039 GREATER VANCOUVER AREA AREA WAZ040 SOUTHERN WASHINGTON WAZ040 SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADE FOOTHILLS CASCADE FOOTHILLS THE SHAPEFILE OF THE NEW PUBLIC WEATHER ZONES FOR THE NWS PORTLAND OFFICE IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD FROM THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/: HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GEODATA/CATALOG/WSOM/HTML/PUBZONE.HTM TABLE 2. PRODUCT CATEGORIES AFFECTED BY ZONE RECONFIGURATIONS. PRODUCT NWWS/FOS IDS ZONE FORECAST PRODUCT ZFP / FPUS56 KPQR WINTER WEATHER WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY WSW / WWUS46 KPQR NON-PRECIPITATION WATCH/WARNING/ADVISORY NPW / WWUS76 KPQR SHORT TERM FORECAST NOW / FPUS76 KPQR STATE FORECAST TABLE SFT / FPUS66 KPQR SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT SPS / WWUS86 KPQR PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT PNS / NOUS46 KPQR POINT FORECAST MATRICES PFM / FOUS56 KPQR HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK HWO / FLUS46 KPQR EARTHQUAKE REPORT EQR / SEUS66 KPQR STATE FORECAST PRODUCT SFP / FPUS66 KPQR REGIONAL TEMPERATURE/PRECIP TABLE RTP / ASUS66 KPQR REGIONAL WEATHER ROUNDUP RWR / ASUS46 KPQR HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK ESF / FGUS76 KPQR FLOOD WATCH FFA / WGUS66 KPQR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THESE CHANGES... PLEASE CONTACT: TYREE WILDE WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 5241 NE 122TH AVE PORTLAND OR 97230 PHONE: 503-326-2340 EMAIL: TYREE.WILDE@NOAA.GOV THIS AND OTHER NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/: HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM $$ NNNN