NOUS41 KWBC 211907 PNSWSH PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC 300 PM EDT TUE SEP 21 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... AUGUST 26 2004 AND SEPTEMBER 7 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/ OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION /OTE/ STARTED AUGUST 30 2004 AND IS SCHEDULED TO CONTINUE UNTIL OCTOBER 15 2004. THIS MEANS OPERATIONAL AND TEST PRODUCTS CONTAINING EXPERIMENTAL OR TEST VTEC STRINGS WILL BE ISSUED BY NWS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES /WFOS/ AND THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER /SPC/ THROUGH OCTOBER 15 2004 AS NOTED IN PREVIOUS PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENTS. BECAUSE OF ONGOING CONVECTIVE AND/OR TROPICAL WEATHER... SOME WFOS HAVE TEMPORARILY DISABLED THE VTEC STRINGS IN SOME OR ALL OF THEIR PRODUCTS. TO MAINTAIN A PROPER SAMPLE OF TEST AND OPERATIONAL VTEC MESSAGES DURING THE OTE... WFO SAN ANTONIO... TX AND WFO CORPUS CHRISTI ... TX WILL BEGIN INCLUDING EXPERIMENTAL VTEC STRINGS IN OPERATIONAL AND TEST PRODUCTS BEGINNING ON OR ABOUT SEPTEMBER 28 2004. THE COMPLETE LIST OF NWS OFFICES NOW TAKING PART IN THE VTEC OTE IS IN TABLE 1 BELOW. NWS OFFICES LISTED IN TABLE 2 ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE WBC OTE. TABLE 1. LIST OF VTEC OTE OFFICES NWS ALASKA REGION HQTRS AK /WILL ONLY ISSUE TEST PRODUCTS AND USE WFO ANCHORAGE COMMS ID/ WFO FLAGSTAFF AZ WFO PHOENIX AZ WFO SAN DIEGO CA WFO JACKSONVILLE FL WFO MELBOURNE FL WFO TALLAHASSEE FL WFO TAMPA FL NWS PACIFIC REGION HQTRS HI /WILL ONLY ISSUE TEST PRODUCTS AND USE WFO HONOLULU COMMS ID/ WFO DES MOINES IA WFO BOISE ID WFO DETROIT MI WFO PHILADELPHIA/MOUNT HOLLY NJ WFO LAS VEGAS NV WFO CHARLESTON SC WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO TX WFO CORPUS CHRISTI TX WFO CHEYENNE WY WFO RIVERTON WY TABLE 2. LIST OF WBC OTE OFFICES WFO BOISE ID WFO WICHITA KS WFO LAKE CHARLES LA WFO KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO WFO ST LOUIS MO WFO SPRINGFIELD MO WFO BILLINGS MT WFO GLASGOW MT WFO GREAT FALLS MT WFO NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC WFO RALEIGH NC WFO WILMINGTON NC WFO NORMAN OK SPC NORMAN OK WFO CHARLESTON SC WFO COLUMBIA SC WFO FORT WORTH TX WFO HOUSTON TX 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@NOAA.GOV HERBERT.WHITE@NOAA.GOV 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@NOAA.GOV THIS AND OTHER VTEC UPDATE NOTICES ARE POSTED ON THE VTEC WEB PAGE SHOWN ABOVE. $$ NNNN