NOUS41 KWBC 301400
PNSWSH
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
953 AM EDT Fri Sep 30 2011
To:Subscribers:
- Family of Services
- NOAA Weather Wire Service
- Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
- NOAAPORT
Other NWS Partners and NWS Employees
From:Eli Jacks
Chief, Fire and Public Weather Services Branch
Subject:Experimental Ice Accumulation Grids to be Added
tothe National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD),
forCONUS Only Effective October 12, 2011
Effective Wednesday, October 12, 2011, at 1400 Coordinated Universal
Time (UTC), Ice Accumulation grids will be added to NDFD on an
experimental basis at a number of NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs)
over the Conterminous United States (CONUS) only. The WFOs issuing these
grids are shown in the Product Description Document (PDD) available
online at:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter/ice.pdf
The experimental Ice Accumulation grids are the expected average ice
thickness on all exposed surfaces (in hundredths of inches) during a 6
hour period. An Ice Accumulation grid will be specified whenever at
least a trace of ice accumulation is forecast for any hour during a
valid period. The Ice Accumulation grids will be added to the NDFD CONUS
sector and to the 16 pre-defined NDFD CONUS subsectors for each6-hour
period out to 48 hours from 00 UTC Day 1.
More details regarding these new elements are available in the PDD in
the online catalog of experimental NWS products and services at:
http://products.weather.gov/viewliste.php
With this implementation, these forecasts will be available from NDFD in
the standard methods:
- GRIdded Binary version 2 (GRIB2) files via Hypertext Transfer
Protocol (HTTP) and File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
- eXtensible Markup Language (XML) via Simple Object Access
Protocol (SOAP) and Representational State Transfer (REST)
- Graphics via web browser
Users who pull NDFD elements in GRIB2 format, either via the Internet or
via the Family of Services server access service may need to update
their procedures and scripts to access these new elements.
For customers who key on the World Meteorological Organization super
heading to access NDFD elements, the super headings for the experimental
Ice Accumulation grids are:
Geographic AreaWMO Header
-------------------------
Central Great LakesYZFZ98 KWBN
Central Mississippi ValleyYZHZ98 KWBN
Central PlainsYZKZ98 KWBN
Central RockiesYZNZ98 KWBN
CONUSYZUZ98 KWBN
Eastern Great LakesYZEZ98 KWBN
Mid-AtlanticYZCZ98 KWBN
NortheastYZBZ98 KWBN
Northern PlainsYZJZ98 KWBN
Northern RockiesYZMZ98 KWBN
Pacific NorthwestYZPZ98 KWBN
Pacific SouthwestYZQZ98 KWBN
SoutheastYZDZ98 KWBN
Southern Mississippi ValleyYZIZ98 KWBN
Southern PlainsYZLZ98 KWBN
Southern RockiesYZOZ98 KWBN
Upper Mississippi ValleyYZGZ98 KWBN
Customers who use the NDFD in XML via Web service or the online
graphical NDFD images can use the same methods they currently use to
acquire these new experimental elements.The NDFD Ice Accumulation
graphics will be labeled experimental.
General information on accessing and using NDFD elements is available
online at:
http://ndfd.weather.gov/technical.htm
If October 12, 2011 is declared a critical weather day, this
implementation may be postponed.In that case, partners and users will be
notified of that decision via an updated Public Information Statement as
far in advance as possible.
Comments and feedback on the experimental NDFD Ice Accumulation grids
will be accepted through May 1, 2012.Links to online surveys for NDFD
customers are:
- GRIB2 users:
http://www.weather.gov/survey/nws-survey.php?code=ndfd-grids
<http://www.weather.gov/survey/nws-survey.php?code=ndfd-grids>
- Users OF XML SOAP service:
http://www.weather.gov/survey/nws-survey.php?code=xmlsoap
- NDFD online graphics:
http://www.weather.gov/survey/nws-survey.php?code=gfp
These new Ice Accumulation grids will remain experimental until all
feedback is assessed and a technical analysis is completed.At that time,
the NWS will determine whether to transition these experimental elements
to operational status, discontinue them, or revise and retain them as
experimental elements.
For general questions regarding NDFD data, please email:
NWS.NDFD@xxxxxxxx <mailto:NWS.NDFD@xxxxxxxx>
For technical questions regarding NDFD data, please contact:
David Ruth
Chief, Mesoscale Prediction Branch
NOAA/NWS Office of Science and Technology
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
David.Ruth@xxxxxxxx <mailto:David.Ruth@xxxxxxxx>
For general questions regarding the Ice Accumulation grids or this PNS,
please contact:
Andy Horvitz
Fire and Public Weather Services Branch
NOAA/NWS Office of Climate Water and Weather Services
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Andy.Horvitz@xxxxxxxx <mailto:Andy.Horvitz@xxxxxxxx>
National Public Information Notices are online at:
http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm
$$
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