NOAA’S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAUNCHES NEW
LOCAL THREE-MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK

In response to customer demand for climate information at the local level, NOAA’s National Weather Service has launched a new local three-month temperature outlook product for the continental United States.

“The mission of NOAA’s National Weather Service, in addition to saving lives and property is to enhance the national economy,” said Brig. Gen. David. L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), director of NOAA’s National Weather Service. “This product allows individuals and businesses to have reliable information to make important economic decisions.”

Easily accessed on the internet, the local three-month temperature outlook extends the Climate Prediction Center’s national three-month temperature outlook to specific local sites, providing probabilistic forecasts of the average daily mean temperatures for 13 consecutive overlapping three-month periods (e.g.: January-February-March, February-March-April). It is available for approximately 1,150 sites nationwide. The information is released on the third Thursday of every month.

The benefits of the local three-month temperature outlook include:

“The local three-month temperature outlook products are valuable tools to aid decision-makers in managing risks and opportunities at the regional and local level,” said Dr. Robert E. Livezey, chief of climate services, for NOAA’s National Weather Service. “Our customers want more localized climate forecasts, and we are responding to those demands."

The local three-month temperature outlook is presented in three graphical formats. Pie charts are the most basic, while the temperature range graphs and probability of exceedance curves are more complex. A link to an outlook evaluation tool is also included for an evaluation of forecast accuracy. There is also a link to a user survey.

The local three-month temperature outlook can be accessed from all National Weather Service forecast office web pages by selecting the “Climate Prediction” tab. It can also be accessed directly at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/climate/l3mto.php, either by clicking on the area of interest or using the search function below the map. Every “local outlook” page features a map showing the stations for which forecasts are available in the local weather forecast office area.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA’s National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov