653
NOUS41 KWBC 212027
PNSWSH
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 00-110...COR
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
330 PM EST TUE NOV 21 2000
TO: FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER
WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ CUSTOMERS...OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS...NWS EMPLOYEES
FROM: PAUL STOKOLS...ACTING CHIEF
FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH
SUBJECT: INTRODUCTION AND TESTING OF THE VALID TIME EVENT CODE
AT THE CHARLESTON WV FORECAST OFFICE...EFFECTIVE
JANUARY 3 2001
...CORRECTED TO CHANGE YEAR IN EFFECTIVE DATE IN SUBJECT LINE...
EFFECTIVE WEDNESDAY JANUARY 3 2001 AT 8 A.M. EASTERN STANDARD
TIME /EST/...1300 UNIVERSAL COORDINATED TIME /UTC/... THE
WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE IN CHARLESTON WEST VIRGINIA WILL BEGIN
INCLUDING THE VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ IN WINTER WEATHER
/WSW/ AND NON-PRECIPITATION WEATHER /NPW/ MESSAGES...AS WELL AS
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM /SVR/ AND TORNADO /TOR/ WARNINGS
/SEE TABLE 1/.
TABLE 1: MESSAGES FROM THE CHARLESTON WV OFFICE WHICH WILL
CONTAIN THE VTEC CODE.../W/W/A STANDS FOR WATCHES..WARNINGS...OR
ADVISORIES/
MESSAGE TYPE AWIPS ID WMO HEADING
NON-PRECIPITATION W/W/A NPWCRW WWUS71 KRLX
WINTER WEATHER W/W/A WSWCRW WWUS41 KRLX
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING SVRCRW WUUS51 KRLX
TORNADO WARNING TORCRW WFUS51 KRLX
THIS TEST WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY EVALUATED...WITHOUT A PLANNED
ENDING DATE. IF ANY SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS ARISE...THE TEST WILL
BE DISCONTINUED AT AN ANNOUNCED DATE/TIME. THE TEST WILL ALLOW
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TO ENSURE THAT THE PROGRAMS WHICH
CREATE THE VTEC RUN CORRECTLY AND ALSO ALLOW EXTERNAL CUSTOMERS
TO DETERMINE WAYS TO UTILIZE THE VTEC IN THEIR DISSEMINATION AND
NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS.
THE VTEC SPECIFIES THE CONTENT OF EACH MESSAGE SO THAT CUSTOMERS
CAN USE AUTOMATED PROGRAMS TO READ...PROCESS...AND REDISTRIBUTE
MESSAGES /OR PORTIONS OF MESSAGES/ WITHOUT HUMAN INTERVENTION.
A VTEC STRING WILL BE LOCATED DIRECTLY BELOW THE UGC LINE/S/ IN
EACH WSW...NPW...SVR...AND TOR PRODUCT FROM THE CHARLESTON WV
OFFICE...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MESSAGES ISSUED ON BEHALF OF
CHARLESTON BY SURROUNDING OFFICES ACTING IN A BACKUP CAPACITY.
SEE TABLE 2 FOR A KEY OF THE VTEC ELEMENTS. FOR A DESCRIPTION OF
THE CODE AND ALL ELEMENTS...SEVERAL PRODUCT EXAMPLES...AND
IMPLEMENTATION PLANS...PLEASE SEE THE INTERNET SITE /USE LOWER
CASE/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/VTEC/VTEC.PDF
ALL CUSTOMERS SHOULD TEST THEIR DISSEMINATION SYSTEM/S/ TO ENSURE
THE TEST VTEC LINE/S/ DOES NOT ADVERSELY IMPACT THEIR SYSTEM BY
JANUARY 3 2001.
VTEC FORMAT:
HERE IS THE GENERIC FORMAT OF ONE VTEC STRING TO DESCRIBE A
SINGLE EVENT /EACH WATCH...WARNING...OR ADVISORY IS ACCOMPANIED
BY A VTEC STRING...SO TWO WARNINGS IN ONE SEGMENT WOULD BE
ACCOMPANIED BY TWO VTEC STRINGS/.
/AAA.CCCC.PP.S.####.DBHHMM-DEHHMM/
AAA.CCCC.PP.S.#### DESCRIBES EACH WEATHER EVENT AND
DBHHMM-DEHHMM DESCRIBES THE VALID BEGINNING AND ENDING TIME OF
THE EVENT
TABLE 2. KEY TO VTEC ELEMENTS
AAA - ACTION CODE /I.E. NEW FOR NEW ISSUANCE/
CCCC - OFFICE ID /I.E. KRLX FOR THE CHARLESTON WV OFFICE/
PP - PHENOMENA CODE /I.E. BZ FOR BLIZZARD/
S - SIGNIFICANCE CODE /I.E. W FOR WARNING/
#### - EVENT TRACKING NUMBER /I.E. 0005 FOR THE FIFTH ISSUANCE OF
A SPECIFIC WATCH...WARNING...OR ADVISORY/
DBHHMM - EVENT BEGINNING DATE/TIME GROUP IN UTC
DEHHMM - EVENT ENDING DATE/TIME GROUP IN UTC
VTEC DELIMITERS:
/ - BEGINS AND ENDS EACH VTEC STRING
. - SEPARATES VTEC ELEMENTS
EXAMPLE SHOWING THE UCG AND VTEC FOR ONE WSW EVENT:
_________________________________________________________________
WWUS41 KRLX 050400
WSWCRW
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
1100 PM EST FRI FEB 4 2000
...DISCUSSION...
WVZ024>026-033-034-050400-
/CAN.KRLX.BZ.W.0001.000000-050400/
BOONE WV-LOGAN WV-MCDOWELL WV-MINGO WV-WYOMING WV-
...REST OF MESSAGE...
_________________________________________________________________
INTERPRETATION: THE CHARLESTON WV OFFICE /KRLX/ ISSUED A WSW
CANCELING /CAN IN THE CODE/ A BLIZZARD /BZ/ WARNING /W/
..EFFECTIVE AT 0400 UTC ON THE FIFTH. IT WAS THE FIRST BLIZZARD
WARNING /0001/ FROM THIS OFFICE FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR. SINCE THE
BLIZZARD WARNING WAS VALID BEFORE THIS MESSAGE WAS ISSUED...THE
BEGINNING DATE/TIME IS LISTED AS 000000.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS... PLEASE CONTACT
ALAN REZEK
METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE - CHARLESTON WV
PHONE: 304-746-0180 EXT.222
E-MAIL: ALAN.REZEK@xxxxxxxx
...NOTE TO INTERNET USERS...
THIS AND ALL OTHER NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE POSTED AT
/USE LOWER CASE/
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM
END
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