STATION ACTIVITY
Twenty-four hour operation for public, aviation and special services. Services include:

1. Severe Storm Warning responsibility for 15 counties in Texas, and Marine Warning responsibility to 60 NM off-shore.
   
2. Local Forecasts for Corpus Christi Metropolitan Area (includes Bay Forecast), Laredo, and Victoria.
   
3. Aviation Terminal Forecasts (TAF) for Corpus Christi International Airport, as well as airports in Laredo, Victoria and Alice.
   
4. WSR-88D radar coverage of the Coastal Bend/Rio Grande Plains.
   
5. ASOS Surface Observations (Service Augmentation Level B).
   
6. NOAA Weather Radio for Corpus Christi, Victoria, Laredo, Port O'Connor, Riviera and Three Rivers.
   
7. Limited Climatological Services.
   
8. Hurricane Awareness, including Public Preparedness and coordination with Local and State agencies.
   
9. Hydrological data collection and Coop Observer management.
   
10. Upper-air observations.

TRANSIENT AND PERMANENT ACCOMMODATIONS
Acceptable transient accommodations are available at motels for $40 to $50. Several offer government rates. There are about 90 hotels and motels in the city offering around 7000 rooms. Permanent type housing is available in every price range. Rental property is plentiful with 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, condominiums and homes renting from $400 and up without utilities. Houses in the area sell from $90,000 to $150,000 and up and are pleasantly plentiful. Average 3 bedroom homes in good neighborhoods sell for around $120,000. In addition, there are several mobile home parks within the area.

TAXES
Texas has no state income tax. Combined state, county and local sales tax is 7.875 percent. Combined county, city and school property taxes on a typical 3 bedroom home averages from $1600 to $2000.

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION
There is no regular public transportation to the NWSO. Personal transportation is a necessity. There is a parking lot at the office.

EATING FACILITIES
Most employees bring their own meals. Microwave and toaster ovens are available at the office. The airport terminal has a restaurant.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION
Corpus Christi, located on Corpus Christi and Nueces bays, is a modern and growing port and tourist center with a metro population of around 410,000. The Port of Corpus Christi is the nation's 6th largest deep sea port. Basic industries of the area include petrochemicals, oil and gas refineries, tourism, agriculture, fishing, and manufacturing. The Corpus Christi Army Depot, located at the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station, is the area's largest employer, with over 3,000 civilian employees. Corpus Christi is the 2nd most frequented visitor destination in Texas, with nearly 5 million tourists a year. The median household income is around $36,000, and the area has a below average cost of living. City government is of the city manager-council type.

The city has become the regional health-care center for all of South Texas. There are more than a dozen hospitals with over 2,200 beds. 140 churches represent 38 denominations. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a four-year comprehensive institution. Del Mar College is a two-year junior college. Another four-year school is Texas A&M-Kingsville, 30 miles southwest of Corpus Christi. The Corpus Christi Independant School District includes 40 elementary schools, 12 middle schools, and 5 senior high schools. This does not include the other school districts in Corpus Christi. In addition, there are several private and parochial schools in the city.

Corpus Christi is home to 2 public and 5 private golf courses. There are over 220 parks in the area. Fishing is excellent with both salt and fresh water varieties. There are numerous beaches on Padre and Mustang Islands, as well as along Corpus Christi Bay. Padre Island National Seashore is located around 2 miles south of downtown Corpus Christi. Boating, surfing and water skiing are all very popular. The Corpus Christi Greyhound Race Track offers year-round dog racing. Corpus Christi is also home to several professional sports teams. The local Hockey team is the Ice Rays with the Hammerheads representing the city in Arena Football. The newest organization is the Corpus Christi Hooks baseball team. The Hooks are the AA affiliate to the Houston Astros.

One of the most popular attractions is the Texas State Aquarium, which is the largest in the state. The U.S.S. Lexington is located in Corpus Christi Bay and is now a museum. There are two other museums, the Museum of Science and History and the Art Museum of South Texas. The city features a symphony, a ballet, and the Harbor Playhouse offers plays year-round. There are 6 movie theaters in the city. Concerts of most musical types occur year-round, both indoor and outdoor, both at the newly built American Bank Center and The Concrete Street Amphitheater. Buccaneer Days, a yearly festival, occurs in April.

There are many restaurants in the city, including most national chains. Because of the city's location, on the Gulf coast and only 150 miles from Mexico, the city is most known for Mexican and seafood restaurants.

CLIMATE
The climate varies between the humid subtropical region to the northeast and the semi-arid region to the west and southwest. Normal rainfall is just over 32 inches a year. Peak rainfall months are May and September. Temperatures range from highs in the low 90s during summer and the mid and upper 60s in winter. Lows range from the mid 70s during the summer to the mid and upper 40s in winter. Due to the nearness of the Gulf of Mexico, humidity is high throughout the year and fog is common in fall, winter and early spring. A refreshing sea breeze normally makes the hot, humid summer afternoons much more bearable. Snow and other forms of frozen precipitation are rare, with trace amounts every 2 years on average. Temperatures below freezing seldom occur along the immediate coast, but normally occur several times a year in the west of the city and further inland.