NOUS41 KWBC 261747 PNSWSH PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC 230 AM EDT THU AUG 26 2004 TO: FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS... NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS AND PARTNERS...AND NWS EMPLOYEES FROM: DEIRDRE R. JONES DIRECTOR...SYSTEMS ENGINEERING CENTER NWS OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SUBJECT: VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ AND WATCH BY COUNTY /WBC/ OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION /OTE/ REFERENCE: PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT... SAME SUBJECT TRANSMITTED AUGUST 20 2004 SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-40 TRANSMITTED JULY 1 2004 SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-45 TRANSMITTED AUGUST 2 2004 SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 04-51 TRANSMITTED AUGUST 18 2004 A COMBINED VALID TIME EVENT CODE /VTEC/ AND WATCH BY COUNTY /WBC/ OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION /OTE/ IS SCHEDULED TO RUN FROM AUGUST 30 2004 TO OCTOBER 15 2004. IN PREPARATION FOR THE OTE... ON AUGUST 26 2004...MOST OFFICES PARTICIPATING IN THE OTE WILL TURN ON VTEC. THIS MEANS OPERATIONAL AND TEST PRODUCTS CONTAINING EXPERIMENTAL VTEC STRINGS WILL BE ISSUED BY SELECTED NWS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES /WFO/ AND THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER /SPC/ STARTING AUGUST 26 2004. IN ADDITION... ALL OFFICES PARTICIPATING IN THE VTEC OTE WILL BEGIN USING A SEGMENTED FORMAT FOR FLOOD WATCHES /FFA/...FLOOD WARNINGS /FLW/ AND FLOOD STATEMENTS /FLS/ /THIS INCLUDES FLOOD ADVISORIES/. NOTE THAT FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS /FFW/ AND FOLLOWUP STATEMENTS /FFS/ WILL REMAIN UNCHANGED /NON- SEGMENTED/ THROUGH THE OTE. NWS OFFICES LISTED IN TABLE 1 ARE SCHEDULED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE VTEC OTE. SOME OFFICES HAVE NOT YET VERIFIED READINESS TO BEGIN OTE PARTICIPATION AND WILL NOT BEGIN ISSUING APPROPRIATE PRODUCTS ON AUGUST 26... BUT WILL BEGIN ON OR AFTER SEPTEMBER 7. NWS OFFICES LISTED IN TABLE 2 ARE SCHEDULED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WBC OTE AND EACH HAS VERIFIED READINESS TO BEGIN PARTICIPATION ON AUGUST 26. TABLE 1. LIST OF VTEC OTE OFFICES NWS ALASKA REGION HQTRS AK /WILL ONLY ISSUE TEST PRODUCTS AND USE WFO ANCHORAGE COMMS ID/ WFO FLAGSTAFF AZ WFO PHOENIX AZ WFO SAN DIEGO CA WFO JACKSONVILLE FL WFO MELBOURNE FL WFO TALLAHASSEE FL WFO TAMPA FL NWS PACIFIC REGION HQTRS HI /WILL ONLY ISSUE TEST PRODUCTS AND USE WFO HONOLULU COMMS ID/ WFO DES MOINES IA WFO BOISE ID WFO DETROIT MI WFO PHILADELPHIA/MOUNT HOLLY NJ WFO LAS VEGAS NV WFO CHARLESTON SC WFO CHEYENNE WY WFO RIVERTON WY TABLE 2. LIST OF WBC OTE OFFICES WFO BOISE ID WFO WICHITA KS WFO LAKE CHARLES LA WFO KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO WFO ST LOUIS MO WFO SPRINGFIELD MO WFO BILLINGS MT WFO GLASGOW MT WFO GREAT FALLS MT WFO NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC WFO RALEIGH NC WFO WILMINGTON NC WFO NORMAN OK SPC NORMAN OK WFO CHARLESTON SC WFO COLUMBIA SC WFO FORT WORTH TX WFO HOUSTON TX THE VTEC-WBC OTE IS DESCRIBED IN FURTHER DETAIL IN THE VTEC-WBC OTE TEST PLAN... INCLUDING TEST OBJECTIVES... ASSUMPTIONS AND LIMITATIONS... AND TEST CONDUCT AND ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURES. VTEC IS DESCRIBED IN FURTHER DETAIL IN NWS INSTRUCTION 10-1703 AVAILABLE ON THE NWS DIRECTIVES WEB SITE AND THROUGH A LINK ON THE VTEC WEB SITE. MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON VTEC... WBC... AND VTEC/WBC OTE CAN ALSO BE FOUND AT THESE WEB SITES /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/: HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/VTEC HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/WATCH/ FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON VTEC-WBC OTE OR THE NWS IMPLEMENTATION OF VTEC... PLEASE CONTACT: DEIRDRE JONES...DIRECTOR HERB WHITE NWS SYSTEMS ENGINEERING OR DISSEMINATION SERVICES CENTER MANAGER SILVER SPRING MARYLAND SILVER SPRING MARYLAND PHONE: 301-713-0629 EXTX 105 301-713-0090 EXT. 146 E-MAIL: DEIRDRE.R.JONES@NOAA.GOV HERBERT.WHITE@NOAA.GOV IF YOU HAVE WBC QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS...PLEASE CONTACT: RICHARD OKULSKI NWS SEVERE WEATHER PROGRAM LEADER SILVER SPRING MD PHONE: 301-713-1867 EXT. 114 E-MAIL: RICHARD.OKULSKI@NOAA.GOV THIS AND OTHER VTEC UPDATE NOTICES ARE POSTED ON THE VTEC WEB PAGE SHOWN ABOVE. $$ NNNN