Implementation of a New Marine Weather Warning Bulletin by NWS

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Implementation of a New Marine Weather Warning
Bulletin by NWS

• 24th Conference on IIPS Session 7A
• Applications in Meteorology, Oceanography,
  Hydrology and Climatology
• 88th AMS Annual Meeting January 23, 2008
• Mark Tew
• National Marine Weather Program Leader
• Office of Climate, Water and Weather Services
• National Weather Service
• Contributing Authors Greg Mann, Ernie Jillson,
  Sven Nelaimischkies Richard May

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Watch / Warning / AdvisoryHow does the rest of
NWS do it?

• Hydrological Program (FFA/FLW/FLS)
• Flood Watch
• Flood Warning
• Flood Advisory
• Coastal Hazards Program (CFW)
• Coastal Flood Watch
• Coastal Flood Warning
• Coastal Flood Advisory

• Winter Weather Program (WSW)
• Winter Weather Watch
• Winter Weather Warning
• Winter Weather Advisory
• Non-Precipitation Program (NPW)
• Non-Precipitation Watch
• Non-Precipitation Warning
• Non-Precipitation Advisory

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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Current Marine Warning Program Long Duration
Events

• No Marine Weather Watch Products
• No Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
• Marine Hazards Headlined in three forecast
  products
• Coastal Waters Forecast (CWF)
• Great Lakes Nearshore Forecast (NSH)
• Great Lakes Open Lake Forecast (GLF)
• Valid Time Event Code (VTEC) in CWF NSH
• No VTEC in GLF
• Similar to issuing Blizzard Warnings using the ZFP

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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Small Craft Advisory in CWF
SC.Y in VTEC String

• ANZ532gt534-030815-
• /O.CON.KLWX.SC.Y.0071.060603T1200Z-060604T0100Z/
• CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM SANDY POINT TO NORTH BEACH-
• CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM NORTH BEACH TO DRUM POINT-
• CHESAPEAKE BAY FROM DRUM POINT TO SMITH POINT-
  
• 423 PM EDT FRI JUN 2 2006
  
  
• ...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM
  SATURDAY MORNING
• THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING...
• .TONIGHT...S WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. WAVES 2 FT.
  SHOWERS AND TSTMS.
• VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.
• .SAT...SW WINDS 15 TO 20 KT. WAVES 3 FT. SHOWERS
  LIKELY WITH A
• CHANCE OF TSTMS. VSBY 1 TO 3 NM.
• .SAT NIGHT...N WINDS 15 TO 20 KT EARLY IN THE
  EVENING...DECREASING
• TO 10 TO 15 KT. WAVES 3 FT.
• etc.

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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Marine Weather Warning Bulletin

• Serve as a dedicated long duration marine Watch,
  Warning and Advisory product
• Similar to the WSW/NPW/CFW
• Issued for coastal areas and Great Lakes
• Provide marine community more specificity and
  vital marine hazard information

• Better inform mariners of adverse marine weather
  hazards
• Issued as MWWxxx AWIPS ID, where xxx is the
  WFO

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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Partner Acceptance

• MWW Proposal endorsed by National Partners
• Presented at Partners Meeting in June 2006 2007
• Prefer VTEC in one hazard product like WSW NPW
• Problems decoding VTEC in two forecast products
• Both contain ROU codes
• MWW Supported by Great Lakes Users Feb 07
• Lake Carriers Association International Ship
  Masters
• USCG Ninth District
• MWW would improve the dispatching of ships for
  search and rescue operations
• Provide more meteorology (the why) for staff
  briefings
• MWW Endorsed by National Marine Constituents (25
  reps)
• Presented at Marine Constituents Meeting in Oct
  25, 2007
• US Navy Wants the MWW implemented ASAP,
  especially for coastal waters near Norfolk, VA
• AccuWeather Wants the MWW implemented
  nationwide ASAP, even if it is experimental

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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Requirements and Test Plan

• Chartered MWW Improvement Team
• Developed Requirements and Project Plan
• MWW Formatter
• Developed by Greg Mann, SOO at WFO Detroit
• Prototype transfer of field development to AWIPS
  baseline
• Expedite product implementation
• Establish MWW Test Sites
• Five sites in Aug, 12 sites today
• Issue experimental MWW with E VTEC
• Continue operational VTEC in CWF and NSH
• Evaluation of MWW Products
• Provide demonstration results and customer
  feedback
• Target AWIPS OB8.3 for Implementation in Fall
  2008

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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MWW Hazards

• New Marine Watches
• Hurricane Force Wind Watch
• Storm Watch
• Gale Watch
• Hazardous Seas Watch
• Heavy Freezing Spray Watch

• Marine Warnings
• Hurricane Force Wind Warning
• Storm Warning
• Gale Warning
• Hazardous Seas Warning
• Heavy Freezing Spray Warning

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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MWW Hazards - Continued

• Marine Advisories
• Ashfall Advisory
• Brisk Wind Advisory
• Dense Fog Advisory
• Dense Smoke Advisory
• Freezing Spray Advisory
• Low Water Advisory
• Small Craft Advisory
• Small Craft Advisory for Hazardous Seas
• Small Craft Advisory for Rough Bar
• Small Craft Advisory for Winds

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) FCC Requirement
The Order requires EAS participants to accept
messages using Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)to
ensure the efficient and rapid transmission of
EAS alerts to the American public in a variety of
formats (including text, audio and video) and via
different means (broadcast, cable, satellite, and
other networks) and to promote the development of
Next Generation EAS. Federal Communications
Commission Announcement May 31, 2007
http//www.eic.org/docs/FCCCAPEASnotice.pdf
New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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NWS CAP Actions

• Proposal
• Add set of Instruction markers in WMO-formatted
  text W/W/A and follow-up statement products
  generated by AWIPS
• MWW Bulletin Used as CAP Experiment
• Instructions markers added to MWW Formatter
• Inserted around the MWW Call to Actions
• Served as a NWS CAP prototyping/risk reduction
  effort
• MWW CAP Test Result
• Modify the NWRWaves software ignore instruction
  tags
• Make minor adjustments to the instruction tag
  requirements
• MWW is the first NWS text product to contain CAP
  instruction tags
• All other NWS Warning bulletins scheduled to
  contain CAP instruction tags in AWIPS OB9

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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WHUS76 KMFR 091500 MWWMFR EXPERIMENTAL...URGENT
MARINE WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
MEDFORD OR 700 AM PST FRI MAR 9 2007 ...GALE
WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PST THIS
EVENING... .WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE THIS
MORNING AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING STRONG COLD FRONT
THAT WILL REACH THE COAST BY LATE
AFTERNOON. SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE TO GALES
LATE THIS MORNING. AFTER THE FRONT PASSES THROUGH
THE WATERS WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWEST AND
DIMINISH BELOW GALES TO SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
WINDS. PZZ350-356-370-376-092300- /E.NEW.KMFR.GL.
W.0001.070309T1600Z-070310T0500Z/ COASTAL WATERS
FROM FLORENCE TO CAPE BLANCO OR OUT 20 NM COASTAL
WATERS FROM CAPE BLANCO OR TO PT. ST. GEORGE CA
OUT 20 NM WATERS FROM FLORENCE TO CAPE BLANCO OR
FROM 20 TO 60 NM WATERS FROM CAPE BLANCO OR TO
PT. ST. GEORGE CA FROM 20 TO 60 NM- 705 AM PST
FRI MAR 9 2007 ...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL
9 PM PST THIS EVENING... THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE IN MEDFORD HAS ISSUED A
GALE WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM THIS
EVENING. SOUTH WINDS WILL INCREASE LATE THIS
MORNING AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT...WITH
EXPECTED WINDS OF 35 TO 40 KT WITH GUSTS TO 45
KT. WINDS WILL BECOME NORTHWEST AND DIMINISH
BELOW GALES BEHIND THE FRONT LATE THIS
EVENING. ltINSTRUCTIONgt A GALE WARNING MEANS
WINDS OF 34 TO 47 KNOTS ARE IMMINENT
OR OCCURRING. OPERATING A VESSEL IN GALE
CONDITIONS REQUIRES EXPERIENCE AND PROPERLY
EQUIPPED VESSELS. IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT
MARINERS WITHOUT THE PROPER EXPERIENCE SEEK SAFE
HARBOR PRIOR TO THE ONSET OF GALE
CONDITIONS. lt/END INSTRUCTIONgt THIS PRODUCT
DOES NOT INCLUDE INFORMATION ON SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES. SEE PRODUCTS SUCH
AS SPECIAL MARINE WARNINGS... MARINE WEATHER
STATEMENTS...WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATIONS AND THE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK.
Start CAP Instruction Tag
End CAP Instruction TAG
Temporary Disclaimer
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MWW WFO Test Sites

• BRO Brownsville, TX
• HGX Houston, TX
• JAX Jacksonville, FL
• MLB Melbourne, FL
• MIA Miami, FL
• TAE Tallahasee, FL
• LCH Lake Charles, LA
• SGX San Diego, CA
• SJU San Juan, PR
• New MWW Test Sites
• by spring 2008

• BUF Buffalo, NY
• CAR Caribou, ME
• CHS Charleston, SC
• DTX Detroit, MI
• GRR Grand Rapids, MI
• IWX Northern Indiana
• HFO Honolulu, HI
• LOT Chicago, IL
• MFR Medford, OR
• MOB Mobile, AL
• MKX Milwaukee, WI
• TBW Tampa Bay, FL

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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Marine Weather Warning Bulletin Summary

• New warning bulletin for long duration marine
  hazards (e.g., Gale and Storm Warnings)
• Provide first ever Marine Watches
• Thirteen WFOs issuing product today
• Expand to 21 coastal WFOs by spring 2008
• National implementation Oct 1, 2008
• First NWS warning product with Common Alerting
  Protocol (CAP) capability
• Exception Alaska Region WFOs and Pago Pago

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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Early MWW Success Stories

• Hurricane Force Wind Event along Oregon Coast
  Dec 3, 2007
• Produced severe wind damage to Oregon coastal
  communities
• WFO Medford used the MWW to issued 1st ever Storm
  Watch
• Upgraded to a Hurricane Force Wind Warning
• Provided the coastal community with advanced lead
  time
• Kept crabbing vessels in port
• Helped prompt Coos County schools to close ahead
  of the storm
• Dense Fog Event for Charleston and Savanna
  Harbors
• WFO Charleston, SC used the MWW to issue 1st ever
  Dense Fog Advisory for both harbors on Dec 10-12,
  2007
• Harbor officials utilized the MWW in their
  decision to close harbor ship traffic for two
  nights
• Decision based on sensitivities to recent harbor
  incident in San Francisco Bay
• Resulted in significant impact to shipping
  commerce
• Charleston and Savannah Harbors are the second
  and third busiest on the East Coast

New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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MWW Serve to Advance the NWS Mission
New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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The End

• Questions or Comments?

http//www.weather.gov/os/mww
New NWS Marine Weather Warning Bulletin
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MWW Key Milestones