[nws-changes] 20120305: VTEC test of beach hazards fwd: ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC

• To: nws-changes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: [nws-changes] 20120305: VTEC test of beach hazards fwd: ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC
• From: Linda Miller <lmiller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:24:03 -0700

-------- Original Message --------

345
NOUS41 KWBC 051918
PNSWSH

Service Change Notice 12-10
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington, DC
218 AM EST Mon Mar 05 2012

To:        Subscribers:
           -Family of Services
           -NOAA Weather Wire Service
           -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
           -NOAAPort
           Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees

From:      Mark Tew
           Chief, Marine and Coastal Services Branch

Subject:   Test of Beach Hazards Statement with new Valid Time
           Event Code (VTEC) in Coastal Hazard Message at
           Select Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) Effective
           May 15, 2012

Effective Tuesday May 15, 2012, at 1200 Coordinated Universal
Time (UTC), six NWS Weather Forecast Offices will use a new VTEC
event code for beach hazards in their Coastal Hazard Messages
(CFW).

These WFOs will begin using the new VTEC event code for the
following BH.S: Beach Hazard Statement within the CFW instead of:

CF.S: Coastal Flood Statement
LS.S: Lakeshore Flood Statement used in the Great Lakes
RP.S: Rip Current Statement used at 17 coastal WFOs when
specifically targeting hazardous conditions that are occurring or
likely to occur along a beach, coastal area or shore and their
immediate adjacent waters.

The Beach Hazards Statement, with the headline of "Hazardous
Beach Conditions in effect for [timeframe]" will inform
beachgoers and local authorities of a multitude of hazards
including, but not limited to:

- rip currents or other types of dangerous currents in the surf
zone
- unusually cold water temperatures
- potential for lightning along the beach/shoreline
- high heat indices which do not meet advisory criteria
- unusual surf/wave conditions which do not meet advisory
criteria.

In coordination with other agencies, as needed, the product may
also inform users of various types of environmental hazards
(e.g., chemical spills, harmful algal blooms, high bacteria
levels in the water, or potentially hazardous marine wildlife
which may be impacting the area.

The Hazardous Beach Conditions Statement is intended to provide
information for these types of hazards in a single product. The
examples of hazards provided above will not necessarily apply to
all NWS coastal offices because each office has unique criteria
for their area of responsibility.

The BH.S will be operational, i.e., the VTEC line will carry the
(O) identifier.  The Beach Hazard information issued by these
offices will be highlighted in turquoise, same color as rip
current statement, on the NWS Watch, Warning Advisory map at:
http://www.weather.gov

Table 1:  Communication identifiers for the CFWs issued by the
6 WFOs that will use the new VTEC for Beach Hazards (BH.S)
effective May 15, 2012:

Issuing WFO                  WMO Header             AWIPS Id

Grand Rapids, MI             WHUS43 KGRR            CFWGRR
San Francisco Bay Area, CA   WHUS46 KMTR            CFWMTR
Newport/Morehead City, NC    WHUS42 KMHX            CFWMHX
New Orleans/Baton Rouge, LA  WHUS44 KLIX            CFWLIX
Seattle, WA                  WHUS56 KSEW            CFWSEW
Tampa Bay Area, FL           WHUS52 KTBW            CFWTBW

Customers must make the appropriate changes to their systems in
order to process the new VTEC BH.S.

The remainder of NWS coastal and Great Lakes offices will
continue using the VTEC event codes CF.S, LS.S, and RP.S in their
Coastal/Lakeshore Hazard Message (CFW) when there is a threat of
hazardous beach conditions. No actions are necessary to continue
processing the CF.S, LS.S, and RP.S VTEC event codes.

This test of the new VTEC event code (BH.S) within the CFW by the
WFOs specified in Table 1 will continue until further notice,
unless significant negative feedback is received.

Users are encouraged to provide feedback by using the brief
survey and comment form on the Internet at:

weather.gov/survey/nws-survey.php?code=CHMBHS

General background information on VTEC can be found online at:

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/vtec

If you have questions or comments please contact:

David Soroka
National Marine Program Leader
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-713-1677 ext. 111
David.Soroka@xxxxxxxx

NWS Service Change Notices are online at:

http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm

$$