Performance Management

NWS Releases The Historic Derecho of June 29, 2012 Service Assessment

The National Weather Service has released the Historic Derecho of June 29, 2012 Service Assessment.  Laura K. Furgione, Acting Assistant Administrator for Weather Services, signed the report January 2013.

On June 29, 2012, a devastating line of thunderstorms known as a derecho (deh REY cho) moved east-southeast at 60 miles per hour (mph) from Indiana in the early afternoon to the Mid-Atlantic region around midnight.  The states most significantly impacted were Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, and North Carolina, as well as Washington, D.C.  Nearly every county impacted by this convective system suffered damages and power outages.  Winds were commonly above 60 mph with numerous reports of winds exceeding 80 mph.  Some areas reported isolated pockets of winds greater than 100 mph.  The storm resulted in 13 deaths, mainly a result of falling trees.

The National Weather Service formed a Service Assessment Team to evaluate performance during this event.  Due to the widespread nature of this derecho, the team chose to visit the sites and review products and performance only at NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) most impacted by the storms.  The full service assessment may be found here.

October, November, and December 2012 Marine Data - Now Available!

After a rough start to the Fiscal Year in getting the legacy marine verification data into Stats on Demand, it looks like we are finally back on track.  We were finally able to load the October, November, and December 2012 data into the system for your viewing pleasure.  This only is a straight up match of forecasts and observations, and does not include a comparison to the models, but it should give you a good idea of how you are performing with your office's wind speed, wind direction, and wave height forecasts.

Hurricane Irene, August 21-30, 2011

The NWS has released the Hurricane Irene, August 21-30, 2011 Service Assessment.  

On August 21-29, 2011, Hurricane Irene left a devastating imprint on the Caribbean and U.S. East Coast.  The storm took the lives of more than 40 people, caused an estimated $6.5 billion in damages, unleashed major flooding, downed trees and power lines, and forced road closures, evacuations, and major rescue efforts.  The effects of Hurricane Irene were felt from the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to the Canadian Maritime Provinces, and as far west as the Catskill Mountains of New York.