[nws-changes] 20131125: Fwd: Change to Federal Info Processing Standards (FIPS) part of SE Alaska-ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC

• To: nws-changes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Subject: [nws-changes] 20131125: Fwd: Change to Federal Info Processing Standards (FIPS) part of SE Alaska-ADMIN NOTICE NOUS41 KWBC
• From: Linda Miller <lmiller@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 06:54:54 -0700

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

337
NOUS41 KWBC 222112
PNSWSH

Service Change Notice 13-75
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
415 PM EST Fri Nov 22 2013

To:       Subscribers:
          - Family of Services
          - NOAA Weather Wire Service
          - Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
          - NOAAPORT
          Other NWS partners and NWS employees

From:     Eli Jacks
          Chief, Fire and Public Weather Services Branch

Subject:  Change to the Federal Information Processing Sstandards
          (FIPS) Code Part of Southeast Alaska Effective
          February 5, 2014

Effective February 5, 2014, the NWS Weather Forecast Office (WFO)
in Juneau (AJK), Alaska, will implement changes to the FIPS codes
adopted in 2009 by the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI):

1. Prince of Wales-Outer-Ketchikan Census Area (FIPS code 02201).
Part of this area (Outer Ketchikan) was annexed by Ketchikan
Gateway Borough (FIPS code 02130), part was included in the new
Wrangell City and Borough (FIPS code 02275), and the remainder
was renamed Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area (FIPS code 02198).

2. Skagway-Hoonah-Angoon Census Area (FIPS code 02232). This area
was split to create Skagway Municipality (FIPS 02230) and Hoonah-
Angoon Census Area (FIPS code 02105).

3. Wrangell-Petersburg Census Area (FIPS code 02280). This area
was split to create part of Wrangell City and Borough (FIPS code
02275) and all of Petersburg Census Area (FIPS code 02195).

A graphical depiction of these changes is online at:

   http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/notification/images/ak-fips.html

The FIPS code is used in the county portion of the NOAA Weather
Radio (NWR) Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) code.  The
correct FIPS code is critical for receiving weather information.
All NWS partners and users and weather radio owners who receive
products that rely on the NWR SAME code, must reprogram their
equipment no later than February 5, 2014.  Partners and users may
want to program the new codes before February 5, 2014, and retain
the current codes in their systems until after February 6, 2014.
That way the change on February 5, 2014, will be transparent and
users will only need to delete the old codes after the
implementation.

All NOAA Weather Radio users and individuals and organizations,
such as media, law enforcement, emergency management and schools,
who own a weather radio receiver with NWR SAME capabilities, must
reprogram their weather radio receivers to continue to receive
weather information.  Instructions on reprogramming your weather
radio are in the owners manual or available from the
manufacturer of your radio, your local retailer or online at the
radio manufacturers web site.

For your information a list of many weather radio receiver
manufacturers is online at:

   www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrrcvr.htm

The NWS NOAA Weather Radio SAME code information page:

   www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrsame.htm

A toll-free number provided by the NWS: 1-888-NWR-SAME (1-888-
697-7263).

An updated shapefile is online at:

   http://www.nws.noaa.gov/geodata/catalog/county/html/county.htm

More detailed information about the ANSI codes for counties and
county equivalent entities, commonly known as FIPS county codes,
and changes to those codes can be found online at

   http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ansi.html

   http://www.census.gov/geo/reference/county-changes.html

Additional information on this and any future NWS implementations
of FIPS code changes is online at:

   www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwsfipschg.htm

For more information, please contact:

   Joel Curtis
   NWS Weather Forecast Office
   Juneau, AK
   joel.curtis@xxxxxxxx

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

$$