BergenSkywarn VTEC Info Page

NOUS41 KOKX 071957
PNSOKX
CTZ005>012-NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>081-221800-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
300 PM EST MON FEB 7 2005

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:     GARY CONTE
          WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST...NWS UPTON NY

SUBJECT: NWS 2005 SEVERE WEATHER PROGRAM CHANGES

SIGNIFICANT OPERATIONAL CHANGES TO NOAA'S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
(NWS) SEVERE WEATHER PROGRAM WILL BE MADE THIS MONTH.

THE VALID TIME EVENT CODE (VTEC) IS A NEW COMMUNICATIONS CODE THAT
WILL ENABLE WEATHER PROVIDERS AND VENDORS TO AUTOMATE AND TAILOR THE
PRODUCT STREAM DELIVERED TO THEIR CLIENTS AND ALLOWS CUSTOMERS TO
SELECT THE SPECIFIC MESSAGE TYPES THEY WANT TO RECEIVE. VTEC WILL
HELP IMPROVE AUTOMATED DISSEMINATION OF WEATHER INFORMATION TO THE
PUBLIC THROUGH A MYRIAD OF METHODS...SUCH AS PAGING SYSTEMS AND
TELEVISION MESSAGE CRAWL SYSTEMS USED TO RELAY URGENT SEVERE WEATHER
AND FLOOD INFORMATION.

ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 8TH AT 1 PM EST...THE VTEC WILL BE IMPLEMENTED
FOR ALL TORNADO WARNINGS (TOR)...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS
(SVR)...SPECIAL MARINE WARNINGS (SMW)...SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENTS
(SVS)...SELECTED MARINE WEATHER STATEMENTS (MWS)...AND INITIAL AND
FINAL WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOU) MESSAGES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
AND TORNADO WATCHES.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VTEC...ACCESS THE NWS VTEC HOME PAGE AT:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/vtec/

THE WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOU1 - WOU9...WOUS64 KWNS) MESSAGE IS
ISSUED BY THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER (SPC) TO PROVIDE NWS
OFFICES...EMERGENCY MANAGERS...THE MEDIA...AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC
WITH THE NAMES OF ALL COUNTIES AND MARINE ZONES IN A CONVECTIVE
WATCH AREA. THE SPC WILL ISSUE AN INITIAL WOU MESSAGE FOR EVERY
CONVECTIVE WATCH ISSUED FOR THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES. THEY
WILL ISSUE A FINAL WOU MESSAGE TO NOTIFY CUSTOMERS THAT A WATCH HAS
BEEN CANCELLED. THE SPC WILL ISSUE UPDATED WOU.S AT LEAST AT THE
TOP OF EACH HOUR TO UPDATE THE STATUS OF ACTIVE CONVECTIVE WATCHES.
TO RECEIVE THIS TEXT PRODUCT...YOU WILL NEED TO STORE WOU1 THROUGH
WOU9...WHERE THE ENDING NUMBER REFERS TO THE LAST DIGIT OF THE WATCH
NUMBER ISSUED BY THE SPC. YOU WILL BE RECEIVING ALL WATCH TEXT
MESSAGES FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR
VENDOR IS AWARE OF THESE REQUIRED PROGRAMMED CHANGES. THE INITIAL
AND FINAL WOU WILL BECOME OPERATIONAL ON FEBRUARY 8TH...WHEN THE X
(FOR EXPERIMENTAL)IN THE VTEC CODE WILL BE REPLACED BY AN O (FOR
OPERATIONAL). THE HOURLY UPDATED WOU WILL REMAIN EXPERIMENTAL.

THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT (SPS...WWUS81 KOKX) WILL CONTINUE TO
BE USED TO CANCEL ANY PART OF AN EXISTING WATCH FOR OUR LOCAL AREA.

ON TUESDAY FEBRUARY 22ND AT 1 PM EST...THE WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE
(WOU) WILL REPLACE THE AREAL OUTLINE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND
TORNADO WATCHES ISSUED BY THE SPC (SEV) AND THE INDIVIDUAL WEATHER
FORECAST OFFICES (SLS).

THE AREAL OUTLINE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCHES
(SEV1-9...WWUS50 KWNS) ARE TEXT MESSAGES ISSUED BY THE SPC THAT
CONTAIN ALL COUNTY NAMES INCLUDED IN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR
TORNADO WATCH.

THE AREAL OUTLINE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND TORNADO WATCHES
(SLS...WWUS61 KCCC) ARE TEXT MESSAGES ISSUED BY THE NWS WFO MT.
HOLLY NJ...ALBANY NY...AND TAUNTON MA OFFICES. THEY LIST THE
SPECIFIC COUNTIES INCLUDED IN THE WATCH FOR THE SPECIFIC STATES OF
NJ...NY AND CT. THEIR AWIPS AND WMO COMMUNICATION PRODUCT HEADERS
ARE: PHLSLSNJ (WWUS61 KPHI)...ALBSLSNY (WWUS61 KALY)...AND BOSSLSMA
(WWUS61 KBOX).

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT NWS PRODUCTS FROM NWS UPTON
NY...PLEASE CONTACT GARY CONTE AT 631-924-0517 OR VIA EMAIL AT Gary.Conte@noaa.gov