NOUS41 KWBC 081643
PNSWSH
SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 05-43
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
1145 AM EST THU DEC 8 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...AND NWS EMPLOYEES
FROM: ROBERT J. MCLEOD
CHIEF...AWARENESS BRANCH
OFFICE OF CLIMATE...WATER...AND WEATHER SERVICES
SUBJECT: HONOLULU WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE /WFO/ OPERATIONAL
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/
IN SIX NWS EVENT-DRIVEN PRODUCTS AND ONE ROUTINE
MARINE PRODUCTS... EFFECTIVE JANUARY 17 2006
REFERENCE:SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 05-24... OPERATIONAL
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VALID TIME EVENT
CODE /VTEC/ IN SEVEN NWS EVENT-DRIVEN PRODUCTS AND
TWO ROUTINE MARINE PRODUCTS: EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 1
2005: REMINDER AND UPDATE ISSUED OCTOBER 25 2005
ON TUESDAY JANUARY 17 2006 AT 1800 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME
/UTC/...THE WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE /WFO/ IN HONOLULU HAWAII WILL
TRANSITION FROM EXPERIMENTAL VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ TO
OPERATIONAL VTEC IN SIX NWS EVENT-DRIVEN OR NON-ROUTINE PRODUCT
CATEGORIES. ONE WFO ROUTINE MARINE FORECAST WILL ALSO TRANSITION
FROM USE OF EXPERIMENTAL VTEC TO OPERATIONAL VTEC ON JANUARY 17
2006. IF JANUARY 17 2006 IS DECLARED A NATIONAL CRITICAL WEATHER
DAY... IMPLEMENTATION WILL OCCUR ON THE NEXT WEEKDAY NOT DECLARED
A CRITICAL WEATHER DAY.
THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS CHANGE IS SOONER THAN SPECIFIED BY NWS
POLICY (NWS INSTRUCTION 10-1805). THE REDUCTION OF THE NORMAL
ADVANCE LEAD TIME WAS APPROVED BECAUSE THE CUSTOMERS IN HAWAII
HAVE BEEN BRIEFED BY THE HONOLULU WFO ABOUT THESE SPECIFIC
CHANGES AND HAVE NOT EXPRESSED ANY PROBLEM WITH THE JANUARY 17
2006 TRANSITION TO OPERATIONAL VTEC. THIS DATE PROVIDES MORE THAN
30 DAYS CONTINUOUS USE OF THE EXPERIMENTAL VTEC CODE STRING IN
THE AFFECTED PRODUCTS SINCE THE NOVEMBER 1 EXPERIMENTAL CODE
START DATE AND MORE THAN 30 DAYS ADDITIONAL TIME FOR ANY CUSTOMER
USER BASE TO RESPOND TO THIS CHANGE TO OPERATIONAL CODE.
BEGINNING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION DATE...THE FOLLOWING HONOLULU WFO
TEXT PRODUCT CATEGORIES WILL CONTAIN OPERATIONAL VTEC:
WFO EVENT-DRIVEN PUBLIC PRODUCTS
WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION WCN
WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE WSW
NON-PRECIPITATION WEATHER MESSAGE NPW
WFO EVENT-DRIVEN HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS
FLASH FLOOD WATCH FFA
WFO EVENT-DRIVEN COASTAL AND MARINE PRODUCTS
COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE /INCLUDING HIGH SURF/ CFW
WFO EVENT-DRIVEN FIRE WEATHER PRODUCTS
RED FLAG WARNING AND FIRE WEATHER WATCH RFW
WFO ROUTINE MARINE FORECASTS
COASTAL WATERS FORECAST CWF
THIS IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE FOLLOWS THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION ON
NOVEMBER 1 2005 BY ALL WFOS IN THE CONTIGUOUS UNITED STATES
/CONUS/ FROM EXPERIMENTAL VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ TO
OPERATIONAL VTEC FOR THE ABOVE LISTED PRODUCT CATEGORIES AS
REFERENCED IN SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 05-24 REMINDER AND UPDATE
ISSUED OCTOBER 25 2005.
THESE OPERATIONAL VTEC PRODUCT CATEGORIES WILL JOIN THE FIVE
PRODUCT CATEGORIES WHICH BEGAN USING OPERATIONAL VTEC ON
FEBRUARY 8 2005:
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING SVR
TORNADO WARNING TOR
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT SVS
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING SMW
MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT /FOLLOW-UP TO SMW/ MWS
COMPLETE INFORMATION ON VTEC CAN BE FOUND IN NWS INSTRUCTION 10-
1703 AND AT THE VTEC WEB SITE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/VTEC
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...PLEASE CONTACT:
HERB WHITE
DISSEMINATION SERVICES MANAGER
SILVER SPRING MARYLAND
301-713-0090 X 146
HERBERT.WHITE@xxxxxxxx
BILL WARD
SCIENTIFIC SERVICES METEOROLOGIST
PACIFIC REGION HEADQUARTERS
HONOLULU, HAWAII
808-532-6415
BILL.WARD@xxxxxxxx
THIS AND OTHER NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT
/USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/NOTIF.HTM
$$
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