NOAA launches new Local Three-Month Temperature Outlook
NOAA’S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAUNCHES
NEW LOCAL THREE-MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK
NEW LOCAL THREE-MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK
11 Sites available in NWS Chicago area
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, including Aurora, Chicago-O’Hare, Dixon, Lowell, Marengo, Ottawa 5SW, Pontiac, Rensselaer, Rockford Airport, Wanatah 2WNW, and Watseka. The information is released on the third Thursday of every month.
The benefits of the local three-month temperature outlook include:
· Extension of the national outlook to the local level
· Higher resolution outlooks with more detail
· Multiple formats to accommodate a wide range of user needs
· Helpful tools to assist users with for interpretation
“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 3-month temperature outlook can be accessed from http://www.weather.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=lot by selecting the “Climate Prediction” tab. The “Local 3-month Outlook” page features a map showing the 11 stations for which forecasts are available in the NWS Chicago area. It can also be accessed from http://www.weather.gov/climate/l3mto.php, either by clicking on the area of interest or using the search function below the map.
“This is an important capability for the citizens we serve in and around the northeastern Illinois and northwestern Indiana area,” said Ed Fenelon, meteorologist-in-charge of the NWS Chicago weather forecast office. “We expect this to be an increasingly popular product. People want to plan for the future and this is of great value.”
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 Bureau of Commercial 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.
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If you have any questions, please contact:
Tim Halbach
Climate Focal Point
National Weather Service-Chicago
On the Web:
NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA’s National Weather Service: http://www.weather.gov
NOAA’s National Weather Service in Chicago: http://www.weather.gov/chicago
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