-------- Original Message --------
464
NOUS41 KWBC 101950
PNSWSH
Service Change Notice 12-31
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
350 PM EDT Mon Sep 10 2012
To: Subscribers:
-Family of Services
-NOAA Weather Wire Service
-Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
-NOAAPORT
Other NWS partners and NWS employees
From: Mark Tew
Chief, Marine and Coastal Weather Services Branch
Eli Jacks
Chief, Fire and Public Weather Services Branch
Subject: ShapeFile Correction and Adjustment for the Upper and
Lower Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay Effective
October 11, 2012
Effective Thursday, October 11, 2012, at 1:00 PM Central Daylight
Time (CDT), 1800 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the NWS
Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Houston/Galveston, TX (HGX) will
correct/adjust its current fire, public, county and marine zone
configurations for the Houston Metropolitan Area (Upper and Lower
Houston Ship Channel)and Galveston Bay. This change will improve
decision support services by reincorporating the Lower Houston
Ship Channel into marine zone GMZ335, Galveston Bay, and
graphically depicting the Upper Houston Ship Channel in the
Harris County, TX, fire and public zones TXZ213 and county area
TXC201.
The Lower Houston Ship Channel has always been part of marine
zone GMZ335, Galveston Bay, per NWS Instruction 10-302, Marine
and Coastal Services Areas of Responsibility. It was
inadvertently omitted during the transition from low to high
resolution shapefiles. Reincorporating the Lower Houston Ship
Channel into marine zone GMZ335 will restore a portion of the
marine zone previously in the lower resolution shapefiles.
In addition, the Upper Houston Ship Channel has always been part
of the land zones/county area associated with Harris County. The
low resolution shapefiles were not able to depict it. Graphically
depicting the Upper Houston Ship Channel in fire and public zones
TXZ213 and county area TXC201 for Harris County will improve
decision support services for the Port of Houston. The Upper Ship
Channel will not be included in marine zone GMZ335 because the
upper channel is not subject to the same sea conditions that
occur over the more open waters of the lower ship channel or
Galveston Bay.
The following table lists the zones/county and corresponding Zone
(Z) and County (C) Universal Geographic Codes (UGC) that will be
impacted by this change.
ZONE/COUNTY NAME UGC Type
---------------- --- ----
Galveston Bay GMZ335 Marine
Harris County TXC201 County
Harris TXZ213 Fire & Public
Updated shapefiles are available online:
www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/wsom/html/marinezones.htm
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/wsom/html/pubzone.htm
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/wsom/html/firezone.htm
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/county/html/county.htm
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/wsom/html/cwa.htm
Graphical depictions are online at:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/notification/images/hgxA1.jpg
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/notification/images/hgxA2.jpg
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/notification/images/hgxA3.jpg
For more information, please contact:
Brian Kyle Melinda Bailey
Marine Focal Point Public/Marine Meteorologist
National Weather Service National Weather Service
WFO Houston/Galveston Southern Region Headquarters
Dickinson, TX 77539 Fort Worth, TX 76102
(281)337-5074 x 229 (817)978-1100 x 107
Brian.Kyle@xxxxxxxx Melinda.Bailey@xxxxxxxx
National Service Change Notices are online at:
www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm
$$
