NWS Decision Support Services Brought to a New Level

Rebecca Gould, DSS Team LeaderJoe DelliCarpini, Science & Operations Officer

National Weather Service Taunton, MA

546 Fatalities from1,748 Tornadoes

Historic U.S. Floods

6 Million Acres Burned

2011: A Year of Extremes~600 Fatalities

$50 Billion in Economic Losses

Devastating Blizzards

Pacific Tsunami

2011: New England• A record number of disasters: 14

• Each caused $1 billion or more in damages

Snow-toberJune 1st Tornado

Tropical Storm Irene

2 Hurricane/Post Tropical Events

2012: A Wild Year of Weather~350 Fatalities

$60.6 Billion in Economic Losses

Severe Weather/Tornadoes2 -Year Long Drought &

Wildfires

2012: New England• Number of billion dollars disasters: 11• Post tropical Storm Sandy

Charlestown, RI

Misquamicut Beach

Building a Weather-Ready Nation

A Weather-Ready Nation: Society is Prepared for and

Responds to Weather Events

Vision

Provide weather, water, and climate data, forecasts and

warnings:

Protect Life And PropertyEnhance National Economy

Mission

Dedicated DSS Meteorologist• Determines the “Impact” of the Day

– Event in first 36 Hours = High Impact & High Confidence– May also include threats out 7 days

• Briefings to affected entities throughout the day– Email– Conference Calls– NWSChat– Phone

• Staffed Mon-Fri– Other times as needed

Dedicated DSS Meteorologist• Ideal Relations with Core Partners

– Federal: FEMA, EPA, USGS, FAA, USCG– State: CT, MA, NH, RI, Forest Service– Local: EMs, MassPort, Steamship Authority

• Build relations with Media & Public– NWSChat– Webcast Briefings– Social Media Updates

Integrated Warning Team

DSS Meteorologist On-Site

• Site/Event Specific Decision Support

Boston Pops July 4th

Brimfield Antique Fair

Boston Marathon

Social MediaFacebook Twitter

Upcoming Hazardous WeatherStorm/Event Reviews

Fun Weather FactsStorm Reports

Snowfall Probabilities• Forecast confidence /

uncertainty• >1, 4, 8, and 12 inches• Rainfall & Wind Speed

next!

I2+ Inches> I Inch 12 + Inches

Snowfall Forecast (Ranges)

Coming This YearGraphical Hazardous Weather Outlook

Breaks down potential hazards over the next 7 days

Coming This YearMultimedia Hazardous Weather Briefings

Recorded briefings for hazardous weather events

Digital Aviation ServicesGraphical Forecasts of Ceiling & Visibility

Digital Aviation ServicesKey Points

• Experimental program expanding nationally in support of NextGen

• Used For Planning Purposes• Forecasts updated every 3 hours

AFN ASH

BED

BID

BVY

CEF

CQX

EEN

EWB

FIT

HFDIJD

LWM

MVY

OQU

ORE

OWDPVC

PYMSFZ

TAN

UUUWST

ACK

BAF

BDL

BOS

FMHHYA

MHT

ORH

PVD

Aviation ForecastLocations

TAF Sites (10)No TAF Service (23)

GHG

Filling the Gap: Hourly Forecast Graphics

http://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/boxHourlyDay.php#tabs

Google Map Interface

Decision Aid for Airport Specific Forecasts

“Point and Click” Capability

NWS Decision Support Services Brought to a New Level

Rebecca Gould, DSS Team LeaderJoe DelliCarpini, Science & Operations Officer

National Weather Service Taunton, MA