852
NOUS41 KWBC 071751
PNSWSH
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
150 PM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004
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...AND NWS EMPLOYEES
FROM: DEIRDRE R. JONES
DIRECTOR...SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CENTER
NWS OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
SUBJECT: VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ AND WATCH BY COUNTY /WBC/
OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION /OTE/ UPDATE
REFERENCE: PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS... SAME SUBJECT
TRANSMITTED AUGUST 20 2004 AND AUGUST 26 2004
SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-40 TRANSMITTED JULY 1 2004
SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-45 TRANSMITTED AUGUST 2 2004
SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-51 TRANSMITTED AUGUST 18 2004
THE COMBINED VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ AND WATCH BY COUNTY /WBC/ PERATIONAL
TEST AND EVALUATION /OTE/ STARTED AUGUST 30 2004 AND IS SCHEDULED TO CONTINUE
UNTIL OCTOBER 15 2004.
ON SEPTEMBER 7 2004 NWS OFFICES LISTED IN TABLE 1 AND TABLE 2 OF THE AUGUST 26
2004 VTEC AND WBC OTE UPDATE PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BEGIN ISSUING
MORE TEST PRODUCTS ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS UNTIL THE SCHEDULED END OF THE OTE
ON OCTOBER 15 2004. NWS OFFICES MAY ISSUE LOCAL PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS
ON DAYS THEY EXPECT TO ISSUE TEST PRODUCTS. DURING THIS TEST OF SOFTWARE AND
OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES...EACH TEST PRODUCT SHOULD BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED BY:
- THE /T/ FIXED IDENTIFIER CODE AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH P-VTEC STRING
- THE WORD TEST IN THE MASS NEWS DISSEMINATOR PRODUCT TYPE LINE
- THE WORD TEST AND SOMETIMES WORDS INDICATING THAT NO SEVERE WEATHER IS
OCCURRING IN THE MENTIONED AREA IN THE PRODUCT TEXT AND ANY HEADLINE
OPERATIONAL AND TEST PRODUCTS CONTAINING EXPERIMENTAL OR TEST VTEC STRINGS WILL
BE ISSUED BY NWS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES AND THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER /SPC/
THROUGH OCTOBER 15 2004 AS NOTED IN PREVIOUS PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS. IN
ADDITION... ALL OFFICES PARTICIPATING IN THE VTEC OTE WILL USE A SEGMENTED
FORMAT FOR FLOOD WATCHES /FFA/...FLOOD WARNINGS /FLW/ AND FLOOD STATEMENTS /FLS/
/THIS INCLUDES FLOOD ADVISORIES/. NOTE THAT FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS /FFW/ AND
FOLLOWUP STATEMENTS /FFS/ WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED /NON-SEGMENTED/ THROUGH THE OTE.
VTEC IS DESCRIBED IN FURTHER DETAIL IN NWS INSTRUCTION 10-1703
AVAILABLE ON THE NWS DIRECTIVES WEB SITE AND THROUGH A LINK ON THE
VTEC WEB SITE. MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON VTEC... WBC... AND
VTEC/WBC OTE CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT THESE WEB SITES /USE LOWER CASE
LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/VTEC
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/WATCH/
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON VTEC-WBC OTE OR THE NWS IMPLEMENTATION
OF VTEC... PLEASE CONTACT:
DEIRDRE JONES...DIRECTOR HERB WHITE
NWS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING OR DISSEMINATION SERVICES
CENTER MANAGER
SILVER SPRING MARYLAND SILVER SPRING MARYLAND
PHONE: 301-713-0629 EXT. 105 301-713-0090 EXT. 146
E-MAIL: DEIRDRE.R.JONES@xxxxxxxx HERBERT.WHITE@xxxxxxxx
IF YOU HAVE WBC QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...PLEASE CONTACT:
RICHARD OKULSKI
NWS SEVERE WEATHER PROGRAM LEADER
SILVER SPRING MARYLAND
PHONE: 301-713-1867 EXT. 114
E-MAIL: RICHARD.OKULSKI@xxxxxxxx
THIS AND OTHER VTEC UPDATE NOTICES ARE POSTED ON THE VTEC WEB PAGE
SHOWN ABOVE.
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