Introduction
This guide is provided as a resource to aid in the understanding of what we do and how we do it. You will find information about services provided, and about the various types of products issued.

The National Weather Service is an agency of the U.S. government, and is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).   NOAA operates under the Department of Commerce (DOC).

Basic Services
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City is one of many forecast offices scattered strategically across the nation, but is one of only a few co-located with a River Forecast Center, and is the only forecast office in Georgia. The basic mission of the NWS is the protection of life and property, and the provision of meteorological services in support of the economy and the public's general welfare. The Meteorologists, Hydrologists, Hydrometeorlogical technicians, and Electronic technicians at WFO Peachtree City have many responsibilities and perform a variety of tasks in carrying out our mission. Among them are...

• weather forecasts for much of the state and for five major airports
• weather warnings and advisories for nearly all of north and central Georgia
• dissemination of stage forecasts and flood warnings for rivers across northern and central Georgia.
• specialized fire weather forecasts for the U.S. Forest Service and other government agencies.
• maintenance of climatological records for Atlanta, Athens, Macon and Columbus
• maintenance of a co-operative observer network
• radar surveilance using NEXRAD doppler radar
• continuous weather broadcasts via NOAA Weather Radio
• safety awareness programs
• public service, i.e. fielding questions that come in from the public at large and the media
• sampling/measurement of atmospheric conditions at all levels using radiosondes attached to hydrogen-filled balloons that are released twice a day.
  
  

Products

• Routine Products such as...general forecasts, aviation forecasts, climate data, etc.
• Non-Routine Products:
  • Severe Weather Products such as...Tornado Warnings, Flood Warnings, etc.
  • Winter Weather Products such as...Ice Storm Warnings, Winter Storm Watches, etc.
  • Non-Precipitation Hazard Products such as...Wind Advisories, Dense Fog Advisories, etc.
  • Other Non-Routine Products such as...Short-Term Forecasts, Record Event Report, etc.
• Web-Only Products such as...GraphiCast, Event Planner, etc.
• Hydrologic Products such as...Lake Levels, River Stage Forecasts, etc.