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The
National Weather Service Vision, Values, & Mission
A world class team
of professionals who:
- Produce and deliver quality forecasts you can
trust when you need them most
- Use cutting edge techniques
- Provide services in a cost effective manner
- Strive to eliminate weather-related fatalities
and improve the economic value of weather information
We at the
National Weather Service value:
- Service above self
- Our customers and partners
- Respect and trust of others and the diversity
of our agency
- The open exchange of information and ideas
- Commitment to integrity, teamwork, self-improvement,
high standards, and scientific approach to our mission
- An innovative and empowered workforce
The National
Weather Service mission:
To
provide weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings
for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean
areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement
of the national economy. NWS data and products form a national
information database and infrastructure which can be used by other
governmental agencies, the private sector, the public, and the
global community.
The Role of the
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS)
has been this nation's leading meteorological information source
since its creation in 1890. A federal agency under the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is part of
the United States Department of Commerce, the NWS offers a wide
array of products and services. Not only is the NWS the only entity
legally authorized to issue severe weather warnings, it also issues
seven-day forecasts for every location in the United States, Puerto
Rico, and Guam. The NWS issues aviation forecasts for hundreds of
airports, produces daily fire weather forecasts in every state,
and marine forecasts for coastal locations.
The NWS also serves as the leading
data collection agency in the nation. It uses satellite imagery
to assist in forecasting, and Doppler radar imagery in issuing severe
weather warnings. Surface and upper air data are gathered routinely.
The National Centers for Environmental Prediction, another NOAA
agency, use this plethora of data in generating a variety of short-
and long-term computer atmospheric models, which serve as the basis
of weather forecasting. The NWS shares this data freely with other
government agencies, universities, private weather industries, and
the general public. The NWS also strives to offer as much of this
information as possible on the internet.
The National Weather Service operates
NOAA Weather Radio (NWR), with hundreds of transmitters located
across the nation. NWR broadcasts routine forecasts and other weather
information, but proves most valuable during severe weather, by
transmitting crucial, often life-saving warnings. As "the voice
of the National Weather Service," NWR is its most "visible" portion.
Indeed, the National Weather Service continues to prove itself the
world's leader in meteorological technology and operational research.
Being one of only a handful of branches
of the federal government designated as a "high-impact agency,"
the NWS operates more than 130 field offices nationwide, six regional
offices, and other various centers, such as the Storm Prediction
Center, the National Hurricane Center, and the National Climatic
Data Center. Its annual expenditures are around $700 million annually,
which is less than $3 per U.S. citizen.
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www.weather.gov 
National Weather Service Forecast Office
