WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION MESSAGE TEST

[russellv2]

Anyone know what this is/means? I looked at the linked page, but it didn't give too much info.

--RV2


From the Detroit National Weather Service Website

WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION MESSAGE TEST FOR SELECTED WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES...THURSDAY OCTOBER 28 2004
ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2004, BETWEEN 9:00 AM EDT AND 1:00 PM EDT, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC, THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND SEVERAL OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES, WILL CONDUCT A TEST OF BOTH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL NEW SEVERE WEATHER WATCH PRODUCTS.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DETROIT/PONTIAC WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE TEST WITH TRANSMISSION OF THE WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION (WCN) PRODUCT. THE PURPOSE WILL BE TO TEST THE INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION AND PRODUCT DELIVERY OF NEW PRODUCTS THAT WILL BE USED IN THE FUTURE ISSUANCE OF SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES.

WCN'S ISSUED DURING THIS TEST ARE FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY. MOST OF THE NEW PRODUCTS TESTED WILL NOT BE ISSUED THROUGH NORMAL DISSEMINATION CHANNELS. ANY WATCH PRODUCTS THAT ARE RELEASED WILL BE CLEARLY IDENTIFIED AS TEST MESSAGES.

IN THE FUTURE, WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES WILL USE WCN MESSAGES TO DEPICT THE STATUS OF ACTIVE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OR TORNADO WATCHES FOR THEIR AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY. THE WCN SHOWS WHICH COUNTIES REMAIN IN, ARE CANCELED FROM, OR ARE EXTENDED IN AREA OR TIME FOR THEIR PARTICULAR PORTION OF THE WATCH AREA.

CUSTOMERS WHO WISH TO RECEIVE THE WCN MESSAGES SHOULD ADD THE COMMUNICATIONS IDENTIFIER IN TABLE 1 BELOW TO THEIR APPROPRIATE DATABASES.

ONCE AGAIN, THE TEST WILL BEGIN AROUND 9:00 AM EDT AND END AROUND 1:00 PM EDT.

Table 1
WFO NAME WMO HEADING AWIPS ID
DETROIT/PONTIAC WWUS63 KDTX ARBWCNDTX

FOR INFORMATION ON AND EXAMPLES OF WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION MESSAGES, PLEASE SEE THE INTERNET SITE:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/watch

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, PLEASE CONTACT:

RICHARD POLLMAN
WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DETROIT/PONTIAC
248-625-3309 EXTENSION 726
richard.pollman@noaa.gov

 

[kb0rpj]

Short and sweet

More or less, the NWS will be phaseing out the old the way of issueing a watch (a watch box issued XX miles either side of a line from point a to point b) to a system in which the NWS will be able to issue watches by county only (so no more pretty boxes, only groups of counties) this will happen in feb 2005

 

[russellv2]

Cool. Thanks. Usually I can decipher technical mumbo-jumbo, but that made no sense to me.

Awwww... but I like the colored four-sided shapes and the way they march across the state in the summer!

 

[rdale]

" (a watch box issued XX miles either side of a line from point a to point b) to a system in which the NWS will be able to issue watches by county only (so no more pretty boxes, only groups of counties) t"

Not quite - they'll still be initiated by the Storm Prediction Center just like always, and be issued using polygons, but the local NWS office will make hourly changes to the counties in and out of the box using the WCN product header.

 

[russellv2]

Not quite - they'll still be initiated by the Storm Prediction Center just like always, and be issued using polygons, but the local NWS office will make hourly changes to the counties in and out of the box using the WCN product header.

Don't they do that now? There were a couple times last summer where Huron County (out at the tip of the thumb) was not included in a watch box, but the Detroit NWS office added them in. Also, I know that they can drop counties out of the watch because I've seen them do it many-a-time as the storm front has passed through and it's clear sailing behind it.

 

[Thunderbolt]

As I understand it, the U.S. Weather Bureau first started to issue Watches based on a 360 degree radius from any given point in the early 1950s, which covered many counties. Likewise, to this day Environment Canada still issues watches on a "county-by-county" basis. Then in 1953-1954, the U.S. Weather Bureau's Severe Storms Forecast Center went to the current "box" style we have today. Moreover, several years ago, the National Weather Service was considering going to a "trapezoid" style Watch box, but nothing ever came about from that idea until now, with the idea of going to polygons.

Having taken geometry in school, we can expect the possibility of some very wild Watch areas with many "artistic" designs.

http://www.mathcats.com/explore/polygons.html

73's

Ron

 

[rdale]

"Don't they do that now?"

Almost - they can add/remove one county away from the edge of the watch area now. Next year it'll be taken care of before SPC issues the final version of the watch.

"Also, I know that they can drop counties out of the watch"

Correct - but next year they will issue a new WCN product every hour about :10-til which SPC will compile into a national map.

- Rob

 

[Pro92]

NOAA DECLEARS TODAY NATIONAL WINTER AWEARNESS DAY

I heard on my scanner that in Nebraska Noaa has declear today 10-27-04 Winter Awearneses? day!

 

[russellv2]

Having taken geometry in school, we can expect the possibility of some very wild Watch areas with many "artistic" designs.

http://www.mathcats.com/explore/polygons.html

Nice webpage Ron. It just prooves that there are a lot of people with a little too much time and spare knowledge that they don't know what to do. (I'm one of those I think but not in the same area as polygons.)
I think I'll either leave the weather radio off or take it with me when I go to work. That way it will not go crazy while I'm gone tomorrow, or I can be there to hit it when it starts to go nuts.

 

[rdale]

There will be no alerting of NOAA Weather Radios, it's just a system / text / graphical test.