PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...COMMENT REQUEST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC 1050 AM EST THU FEB 28 2008

TO: SUBSCRIBERS:

-FAMILY OF SERVICES

-NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE

-EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK

OTHER NWS PARTNERS...AND NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM: ELI JACKS

CHIEF...FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH

SUBJECT: CURRENTLY SOLICITING PUBLIC COMMENTS BY APRIL 8 2008

REGARDING A PROPOSED RESTRUCTURING OF SOME NWS WINTER

WEATHER ADVISORY AND WARNING PRODUCTS

EFFECTIVE MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1 2008 AT 0001 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME /UTC/ NWS PROPOSES TO CHANGE THE SUITE OF PRODUCTS USED TO ADVISE AND WARN PARTNERS AND THE PUBLIC OF SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROPOSED CHANGE IS TO SIMPLIFY AND CLARIFY THE COMMUNICATION AND DISSEMINATION OF EXPECTED WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS.

FEEDBACK FROM MANY OF OUR PARTNERS AND PUBLIC USERS OVER THE PAST

3 YEARS...COMBINED WITH INPUT FROM NWS FIELD MANAGERS AND FORECASTERS...STRONGLY SUGGESTS SERVICE CAN BE IMPROVED BY REDUCING THE NUMBER OF SPECIFIC WINTER WEATHER WARNING AND ADVISORY PRODUCTS. THIS PROPOSED REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF PRODUCTS WOULD ENHANCE THE CLARITY AND CONSISTENCY OF NWS WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS.

ALSO THE GRAPHICAL DEPICTION OF FORECAST WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS VIA THE NWS HOME PAGE AND OTHER GRAPHICAL MEANS WOULD BE MORE UNDERSTANDABLE.

THE PROPOSED RESTRUCTURING OF NWS WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS WOULD BE ACCOMPLISHED BY COMBINING A NUMBER OF CURRENT ADVISORY AND WARNING CATEGORIES WITH SIMILAR IMPACTS. FOR EXAMPLE...CONDITIONS THAT CURRENTLY PROMPT THE ISSUANCE OF SEPARATE WINTER WEATHER...

SNOW...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW...SLEET...AND/OR BLOWING SNOW ADVISORIES WOULD BE ISSUED...AND VTEC-CODED...AS WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES. SIMILARLY CONDITIONS THAT CURRENTLY PROMPT THE ISSUANCE OF SEPARATE WINTER STORM... HEAVY SNOW... AND/OR SLEET WARNINGS WOULD BE ISSUED...AND VTEC-CODED...AS WINTER STORM WARNINGS. THE NWS WOULD DISCONTINUE USE OF THE VTEC CODES ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISCONTINUED ADVISORY AND WARNING PRODUCTS.

FREEZING RAIN...LAKE EFFECT SNOW...AND WIND CHILL ADVISORIES WOULD STILL BE ISSUED DUE TO THE SEVERITY AND UNIQUENESS OF THEIR IMPACTS. SIMILARLY...BLIZZARD...ICE STORM...LAKE EFFECT SNOW...AND WIND CHILL WARNINGS WOULD CONTINUE TO BE ISSUED.

AS ALWAYS SPECIFIC INFORMATION RELATING TO THE TYPE OF HAZARD WOULD BE CLEARLY DEPICTED IN THE BODY OF THE ADVISORY OR WARNING PRODUCT.

NO SOFTWARE CHANGES BY NWS PARTNERS OR USERS ARE ANTICIPATED AS A RESULT OF THIS PROPOSED CHANGE.

THE FOLLOWING TABLES SHOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CURRENT AND PROPOSED ADVISORY AND WARNING CATEGORIES:

TABLE 1 - WINTER ADVISORIES

CURRENT WINTER ADVISORIES PROPOSED WINTER ADVISORIES

FREEZING RAIN ------------------ FREEZING RAIN LAKE EFFECT SNOW --------------- LAKE EFFECT SNOW WIND CHILL --------------------- WIND CHILL WINTER WEATHER ----------------- WINTER WEATHER SNOW --------------------------- WINTER WEATHER SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ---------- WINTER WEATHER SLEET -------------------------- WINTER WEATHER BLOWING SNOW ------------------- WINTER WEATHER

TABLE 2 - WINTER WARNINGS

CURRENT WINTER WARNINGS PROPOSED WINTER WARNINGS

BLIZZARD ----------------------- BLIZZARD ICE STORM ---------------------- ICE STORM LAKE EFFECT SNOW --------------- LAKE EFFECT SNOW WIND CHILL --------------------- WIND CHILL WINTER STORM ------------------- WINTER STORM HEAVY SNOW --------------------- WINTER STORM SLEET -------------------------- WINTER STORM

A GRAPHICAL DEPICTION OF TABLES 1 AND 2 AND EXAMPLES OF HOW ADVISORY AND WARNING PRODUCTS WILL BE FORMATTED AS A RESULT OF THIS PROPOSED CHANGE CAN BE FOUND AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

THE NWS WELCOMES PARTNER AND PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING THIS PROPOSED CHANGE. PLEASE SEND YOUR COMMENTS /WITH THE SUBJECT LINE: COMMENTS ON PROPOSED WINTER WEATHER SIMPLIFICATION/

AFTER A REVIEW OF ALL COMMENTS...THE NWS WILL DECIDE BY MAY 1 2008 WHETHER OR NOT TO IMPLEMENT THIS PROPOSED CHANGE.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION REGARDING THIS PROPOSED CHANGE IN THE ISSUANCE AND DISSEMINATION OF WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE CONTACT:

PAUL STOKOLS

FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH

1325 EAST WEST HIGHWAY

SILVER SPRING MD 20910

301-713-1867 EXT. 139

OR THE WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST /WCM/ AT YOUR LOCAL WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE.

NATIONAL PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/: