Straight Talk:
Hurricane Katrina Update

by General D.L. Johnson
NWS Director

A lot has happened since Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast. All of our employees and contractors with our Weather Forecast Offices, River Forecast Center, and the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) have been accounted for. We continue to get our services, infrastructure, and dissemination channels back on line in areas hit hardest. To keep the DART II buoy production on track, that function will shift from the NDBC to NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle, WA.

I cannot say enough how proud I am of how our workforce has reached out to help fellow employees and families affected by Katrina, with contributions of money, food, necessities, and support.

Some staff members have been able to return to their homes - at least the homes that have not been damaged severely. Reports indicate that many Slidell area staff members' homes have sustained some damage, and up to 16 homes are uninhabitable or destroyed. Two teams have been set up from the office to assist with repairs and clean-up of personal property.

U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), Chairman of Commerce Committee's Disaster Prediction and Prevention Subcommittee, applauded NWS for its accurate forecast of Hurricane Katrina. You can read the Senator's news release here.

Hurricane Katrina reminds us that none of us are immune to disaster. Please make sure that you and your family have disaster plans.

Use this link for information on victims of Katrina, how to get in contact with family and friends in the disaster area, and disaster cleanup and resources.

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Southwest Airlines Joins with NOAA, FAA to Improve Aviation, Public Safety

by Dave Helms
NWS Office of Science and Technology

Southwest Airlines is now delivering about 700 daily "slices" of the atmosphere to both NWS and the Federal Aviation Administration through the Meteorological Collection and Dissemination System (MDCRS).

"With each of these additional atmospheric slices or 'soundings,' NOAA and the FAA will get a better picture of the atmosphere's likelihood for impacting aviation and public safety," said Brig. Gen. D.L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), NWS Director. "Southwest is the first new air carrier to share its aircraft weather reports with NOAA and the FAA in over 5 years, and this substantial milestone in the MDCRS Program ties right into our strategic initiative on aviation products and services."

NWS and the FAA have been partnering with the Nation's commercial air carriers in collecting MDCRS weather reports for more than 10 years. Southwest and the other six U.S. commercial carrier partners, (American Airlines, Delta Airlines, FedEx, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines, and United Parcel Service), provide over 150,000 weather reports everyday day from 1,500 aircraft. MDCRS aircraft observations are delivered from the aircraft to NOAA using the ARINC, Inc., air-to-ground communication network, known as the Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS).

Aircraft weather observations complement the atmospheric soundings NOAA generates through the radiosonde "weather balloon" program.

Southwest's 60 destinations are advantageous to the government's Integrated Earth Observing System (IEOS) strategy of improving the temporal and spatial coverage of vertical soundings as Southwest's jet aircraft make frequent stops across most of the nation, including many regional airports.

MDCRS reports improve forecast accuracy of the nation's weather prediction models and help predict rapidly changing weather which impact air travel and public safety, such as from thunderstorms, low clouds and visibility, icing, and turbulence. NOAA and the FAA share the cost of using ARINC's air-to-ground communications with the commercial air carriers. Through MDCRS, the Federal government leverages the airlines' on-board aircraft weather sensors and communication infrastructure used to operate the aircraft without adding cost to the airlines except for minimal communication costs. In return, the airlines get improved weather predictions allowing them to lower cost of operations due to weather delays and to improve flight safety for their crews and passengers.

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NOAA Awards NWS Radiosonde Balloon Contract

On August 8, NOAA's NWS awarded a contract to Kaymont, of Huntington Station, NY, for 26-kilometer general-purpose balloons. The contract is an indefinite quantity type and has a base period of two years. The maximum quantity is 110,000 balloons with a maximum value of almost $3 million. A delivery order has been issued for 30,180 balloons to be delivered at the rate of 5,030 each month from November 2005 through April 2006.

For over 60 years, upper air observations have been made by NOAA's NWS with radiosondes. The radiosonde is a small, expendable instrument package that is suspended below a balloon filled with hydrogen or helium. As the radiosonde rises, sensors on the radiosonde measure profiles of pressure, temperature, and relative humidity. These sensors are linked to a radio transmitter that sends the measurements to a ground receiver.

A radiosonde flight can last in excess of two hours, and during this time the radiosonde can ascend to over 35 km (about 115,000 feet) and drift more than 200 km (about 125 miles) from the release point. During the flight, the radiosonde is exposed to temperatures as cold as -90º C (-130º F) and an air pressure only a few thousandths of what is found on the Earth's surface. When the balloon expands beyond its elastic limit and bursts, a small parachute slows the descent of the radiosonde, minimizing the potential danger to life and property

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Theaters Join with NWS to Promote Heat Safety and NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards

Wehrenberg Theatres, the oldest family-owned and operated theater circuit in the country which operates 150 screens in the St. Louis, MO, area, has joined with the NWS this summmer to promote Heat Safety and NOAA Weather Radio.

Over the course of the summer, whenever the NWS issued a Heat Advisory or Warning, Wehrenberg offered a "Heat Advisory Matinee" when adults could purchase reduced-price tickets through 6 p.m.

"It's just like the old days--get out of the heat, go to a movie where it is cool and comfy," Wehrenberg spokeswoman Kelly Hoskins said. "We're glad to help people get out of the heat for a couple of hours by reducing ticket prices." Company representatives kept track of the weather by monitoring the WFO St. Louis web site.

The theater company will also help promote NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) for the rest of this year and in 2006. A NWR slide will be shown as a public service on every screen before every movie starting this fall and continuing through Christmas. The slide will also be shown during March 2006 which will be Disaster Preparedness Month 2006 in Missouri.

"NWR is a great way to get critical warning information," Hoskins said. "It seems a lot of people don't know about it, so perhaps this will help."

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WFO Jackson, KY, Plans Silver Anniversary Celebration, Invites Alumni

by Bonnie Terrizzi
WFO Jackson, KY

The Jackson, KY, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) is inviting former staff and management to attend a 25th anniversary celebration of the office on October 5, 2005.

WFO Jackson, like many offices located in remote portions of the country, tends to have a high staff turn-over. Although some of the people stationed here have lasted more than a decade, many of the staff at Jackson have transferred after a couple years of service. As a consequence, throughout the different corners of the Weather Service, former Jackson alumni are in every career field: the electronics technician, the hydrometeorological technician, forecasters, management - including management within NWS and NOAA Headquarters. When the numbers of past employees are counted from the handful of the old-timers here, it is obvious that a significant number of NWS employees that got their National Weather Service career started in the hills of east Kentucky.

For this silver anniversary celebration, former employees of the Jackson office are invited to return to the hills with their families, just as the autumn foliage begins to paint the landscape. A reunion of fellow employees would be a unique opportunity to reconnect with old friends and to meet new ones. But recognizing that not everyone who used to be stationed here would be available to come to the party, we would also welcome a "virtual" return as well.

We would love to have an update on everyone who passed through this office. If you are an alumnus, please send us a brief biography; tell us what your position was, your dates of service, and summarize your career since you left Jackson. Add a current personal photo or historic photo if you have them, and we will mount these on a display for those attending the celebration. Any remembrance of the office or of the community, or anything pertinent that you would like to pass on to us would also be very welcome.

If you wish to be a part of our 25th anniversary, please follow this link and fill out the form. If you know of a retired former Jackson employee who might be interested, please pass on the information to them. Thanks, and we hope to see you October 5, or at least, hear how you are doing.

For more information on the Jackson office and history from the past 25 years, follow this link.

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Open House Connects With National Weather Service History

Despite the rain, over 1,500 people attended an August 14 open house hosted by the Buffalo, NY, Weather Forecast Office (WFO). Attendees showed tremendous patience when waiting in line for up to three hours, but were rewarded with a tour of the operational facility complete with a re-creation of NWS operations during a high-level severe weather outbreak.

A highlight of the event was the "appearance" of General Albert J. Myer, considered by some to be the founder and father of the National Weather Service. Bob Gilbert, a former NOAA employee, dressed in a Civil War era uniform and played the role of Gen. Myer, answering questions from the public on the early history of the weather service in the U.S.

Myer had roots in the Buffalo area. Born in 1829, Myer was raised and attended school in Buffalo. From 1854 through 1869 he served as Assistant Surgeon in the U.S. Army. While serving in the West, he was inspired by the signaling system of Native Americans and developed the "wig-wag" military signaling system adopted for use by the government in 1858 (Buffalo employees actually made several of these flags that were displayed in the open house's "Myer Tent"). Myer was appointed the Chief Signal Officer and head of the new Army Signal Corps. It was during this command that the U.S. Weather Bureau was formed, and Myer was appointed as its director. Myer led the Weather Bureau from 1870 until his death in 1880. He stressed public service, and the personnel of the weather agency knew their job was service to others. General Myer is buried in Buffalo, and WFO Buffalo is dedicated to his memory.

Former NOAA employee Bob Gilbert portrayed General Albert J. Myer, first director of the U.S. Weather Bureau, precursor to NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS), at an August 14, 2005, open house held at NWS's Buffalo forecast office. Photo by Ronald J. Colleran/The Buffalo News, 2005.

Several other Federal agencies also took part in the open house. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers highlighted their support for flood-related projects and other hydrological programs that are an integral part of NOAA's mission to serve society's needs for weather and water information. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary discussed the role that is shared by their agency and NOAA's NWS in maintaining the safety of our citizens on the Great Lakes and highlighted the partnership to share NOAA's mission of protecting, restoring, and managing the use of coastal resources.

In addition, the local emergency management office brought in their mobile command center to show how critical information from NOAA is used in the field to safely conduct emergency operations. The Buffalo-Niagara International Airport displayed firefighting as well as snowplowing trucks. Finally, the State University of New York College at Buffalo was on hand to provide information on a timely local project being conducted with NOAA's National Weather Service. The study is recruiting local volunteers to deploy a network of weather sensors to study the local effects of the Great Lakes on the community.

"This was the largest direct outreach effort conducted by WFO Buffalo," according to Tom Niziol, Meteorologist-In-Charge for the office. "The huge crowds were a result of the outreach the office does to highlight its presence in the local community," he added. "It serves as a great example of how we meet NOAA's Strategic Goal of being committed to work together and respond to society's needs."

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Also On the Web...
New Issue of NEXRAD Now

The new issue of the NEXRAD Now newsletter is available. In this issue read about real-time WSR-88D Level II data collection and distribution, a new transmitter tuning technique, future WSR-88D software releases, and more. View the newsletter at http://www.roc.noaa.gov/nnow.asp.

Employee Milestones

• Click here to see NEW APPOINTMENTS/TRANSFERS to NWS through August 31, 2005.
• Click here to see RETIREMENTS/DEPARTURES from NWS through August 31, 2005.