Monday, March 9, 2009

Weather Department,

Weather, Department, The National Weather Service (NWS), once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States government. It is tasked with providing "weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy." This is done through a collection of national and regional centers, and more than 122 local weather forecast offices (WFOs). Since the NWS is a government agency, most of its products are in the public domain and available free of charge.Click Here to Advertise on My Blog


History
The NWS, formerly known as the Weather Bureau, was founded on February 9, 1870 through a joint congressional resolution signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. The mission of the NWS was "to provide for taking meteorological observations at the military stations in the interior of the continent and at other points in the States and Territories...and for giving notice on the northern (Great) Lakes and on the seacoast by magnetic telegraph and marine signals, of the approach and force of storms." The agency was placed under the Secretary of War because "military discipline would probably secure the greatest promptness, regularity, and accuracy in the required observations." Within the Department of War, it was assigned to the U.S. Army Signal Corps under Brigadier General Albert J. Myer. General Meyer gave the National Weather Service its first name: The Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce.


The agency first became a civilian enterprise in 1890, when it became part of the Department of Agriculture; it would later be moved to the Department of Commerce in 1940. The first Weather Bureau radiosonde was launched in Massachusetts in 1937, which went on to replace all routine aircraft observation within two years. The Bureau was renamed the National Weather Service in 1967, as part of the Environmental Science Services Administration, which became the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) three years later with the enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act.


The NWS issues a comprehensive package of forecast products to support a variety of users, including the general public. Although text forecasts have been the primary means of product dissemination, the NWS has been converting its forecast products to a digital, gridded format. Each of the 122 Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) send their graphical forecasts to a national server to be compiled in the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD). This is a collection of sensible weather elements such as: maximum and minimum temperature, humidity, cloud cover, probability of precipitation, amount of precipitation and wintry precipitation, weather type, and wind direction and speed. In addition to viewing gridded weather data via the internet, more advanced users can decode the individual grids using a "GRIB2 decoder" which can output data as shapefiles, netCDF, GrADS, float files, and comma separated variable files. Specific points in the digital database can be accessed using an XML SOAP service. These capabilities have greatly increased the audience of NDFD data. The NWS has received some criticism from commercial weather vendors for providing graphical forecast data free of charge. They argue that such tailored forecast information compete with their own products. However, a large majority of private weather firms quickly realized its potential benefits and have flourished by using the NDFD as a tool for composing their products.


Aviation

Meteorologists preparing a forecast, early 20th century.The NWS supports the aviation community through the production of several specific forecast products. Each WFO has responsibility for the issuance of Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAF) for one or more airports in their jurisdiction. TAFs are concise, coded 24-hour forecasts for a specific airport, issued every six hours with amendments as needed. As opposed to a public weather forecast, a TAF only addresses weather elements critical to aviation. These are: wind, visibility, weather, sky condition (clouds), and optional data such as wind shear. The following is an example of a TAF for Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City:

KOKC 212350Z 220024 10006KT P6SM SCT040 BKN120
TEMPO 0001 VRB15G25KT 2SM +TSRA BKN040CB OVC070
FM0100 10007KT P6SM SCT040CB BKN060 BKN120
TEMPO 0105 2SM +TSRA BKN030CB OVC050
FM0500 07006KT 5SM SHRA BKN030CB OVC050
TEMPO 0508 3SM +TSRA OVC030CB
FM1200 03006KT P6SM -SHRA BKN025 OVC070
FM1600 05007KT P6SM BKN035 OVC100
21 NWS Center Weather Service Units (CWSU) are collocated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC). Their main responsibility is to provide up-to-the-minute weather information and briefings to the Traffic Management Units and control room supervisors. Special emphasis is given to weather conditions that would be hazardous to aviation or would impede the flow of air traffic in the National Airspace System. Beside scheduled and unscheduled briefings for decision-makers in the ARTCC and other FAA facilities, CWSU meteorologists also issue two unscheduled products. The Center Weather Advisory (CWA) is an aviation weather warning for thunderstorms, icing, turbulence, and low cloud ceilings and visibilities. The Meteorological Impact Statement (MIS) is a 2-12 hour forecast for weather conditions which are expected to impact ARTCC operations.

The Aviation Weather Center (AWC), located in Kansas City, MO, is a central aviation-support facility operated by the National Weather Service. The AWC issues two primary products:

AIRMET (Airmen's Meteorological Information): Information on icing, turbulence, mountain obscuration, low-level wind shear, IMC conditions, and strong surface winds.
SIGMETs (Significant Meteorological Information)
Convective: Issued for an area of thunderstorms affecting an area of 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2) or greater, a line of thunderstorms at least 60 nmi (110 km) long, and/or severe or embedded thunderstorms affecting any area that are expected to last 30 minutes or longer.
Non-convective: Issued for severe or greater turbulence over a 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2) area, severe or greater icing over a 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2), or IMC conditions over a 3,000 square miles (7,800 km2) area due to dust, sand, or volcanic ash.

Fire weather
Catering to national, regional and local land management agencies such as the US Forest Service, the NWS issues a complete Fire Weather Forecast twice daily, with updates as needed. The forecast contains weather information relevant to fire control and smoke management for the next 36-48 hours. The appropriate crews use this information to plan for staffing and equipment levels, the ability to do prescribed burns, and assess the daily fire danger. Once per day, NWS meteorologists issue a coded fire weather forecast for specific USFS observation sites that are then input into the National Fire Danger Rating System (NFDRS). This computer model outputs the daily fire danger that is then conveyed to the public in one of four ratings: low, moderate, high, extreme.

The local weather office also, under a prescribed set of criteria, will determine if a Fire Weather Watch or a Red Flag Warning needs to be issued. These products alert not only the public, but other agencies that conditions are creating the potential for extreme fire behavior.

On the national level, the NWS Storm Prediction Center issues fire weather analyses for days one and two. These include large-scale areas that may experience critical fire weather conditions including the occurrence of "dry thunderstorms." These are thunderstorms, usually occurring in the western U.S., that are not accompanied by any rain due to it evaporating before reaching the surface.


NWS IMET taking observations in the fieldState and Federal forestry officials sometimes request a forecast from a WFO for a specific location called a "spot forecast." Spot forecasts are used to determine whether it will be safe to ignite a prescribed burn and how to situate crews during the controlling phase. Officials send in a request, usually during the early morning, containing the position coordinates of the proposed burn, the ignition time, and other pertinent information. The WFO composes a short-term fire weather forecast for the location and sends it back to the officials, usually within an hour of receiving the request.

The NWS assists officials at large wildfires or other disasters, including HAZMAT incidents, by providing on-ground support through Incident Meteorologists (IMET). IMETs are NWS forecasters specially trained to work with Incident Management Teams during severe wildfire outbreaks or other disasters requiring onsite weather support. IMETs travel quickly to the incident site and then assemble a mobile weather center capable of providing continuous meteorological support for the duration of the incident. The kit includes a cell phone, a laptop computer and communications equipment, used for gathering and displaying weather data such as satellite imagery or numerical forecast model output. Remote weather stations are also used to gather specific data for the point of interest. They often receive direct support from the local WFO during such crises. IMETS can be deployed anywhere a disaster strikes and must be capable of working long hours for weeks at a time in remote locations under rough conditions. There are approximately 60 to 70 IMETs nationally.

South African Weather Service,

The South, African, Weather, Service, SAWS, is the meteorological service under the South African government's Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. SAWS is a member of the World Meteorological Organization. The agency is similar to the United States' National Weather Service.

Under the South African Weather Service Act (No. 8 of 2001) effective July 15, 2001, SAWS became a public entity.

Weather stations
South Africa operates a significant number of weather stations in South Africa as well as stations at Gough Island, Marion Island and Antartica in cooperation with the South African National Antarctic Program.


List of South African Weather Stations
Name WMO # ICAO Location
Alexander Bay 406 FAAB 28°34′S 16°32′E / 28.567°S 16.533°E / -28.567; 16.533 (Alexander Bay)
Aliwal North 546 FAAN 30°43′S 26°43′E / 30.717°S 26.717°E / -30.717; 26.717 (Aliwal North)
Babanango 488 28°23′S 31°5′E / 28.383°S 31.083°E / -28.383; 31.083 (Babanango)
Beaufort West 728 FABY 32°21′S 22°35′E / 32.35°S 22.583°E / -32.35; 22.583 (Beaufort West)
Bethal 370 26°27′S 29°29′E / 26.45°S 29.483°E / -26.45; 29.483 (Bethal)
Bethlehem Airport 461 FABM 28°15′S 28°20′E / 28.25°S 28.333°E / -28.25; 28.333 (Bethlehem Airport)
Bethlehem 462 28°10′S 28°46′E / 28.167°S 28.767°E / -28.167; 28.767 (Bethlehem)
Bisho Airport 752 32°50′S 27°27′E / 32.833°S 27.45°E / -32.833; 27.45 (Bisho Airport)
Bloemfontein Airport 442 FABL 29°6′S 26°18′E / 29.1°S 26.3°E / -29.1; 26.3 (Bloemfontein Airport)
Calvinia 618 FACV 31°28′S 19°46′E / 31.467°S 19.767°E / -31.467; 19.767 (Calvinia)
Cape Agulhas 920 34°50′S 20°1′E / 34.833°S 20.017°E / -34.833; 20.017 (Cape Agulhas)
Cape Columbine 712 32°50′S 17°51′E / 32.833°S 17.85°E / -32.833; 17.85 (Cape Columbine)
Cape Point 916 34°21′S 18°30′E / 34.35°S 18.5°E / -34.35; 18.5 (Cape Point)
Cape Saint Francis 938 34°12′S 24°50′E / 34.2°S 24.833°E / -34.2; 24.833 (Cape Saint Francis)
Cape Saint Lucia 496 28°30′S 32°24′E / 28.5°S 32.4°E / -28.5; 32.4 (Cape Saint Lucia)
Cape Town International Airport 816 FACT 33°59′S 18°36′E / 33.983°S 18.6°E / -33.983; 18.6 (Cape Town International Airport)
Carolina 380 FACL 26°4′S 30°7′E / 26.067°S 30.117°E / -26.067; 30.117 (Carolina)
Cedara 580 29°32′S 30°17′E / 29.533°S 30.283°E / -29.533; 30.283 (Cedara)
Cradock 744 32°10′S 25°37′E / 32.167°S 25.617°E / -32.167; 25.617 (Cradock)
De Aar 536 FADA 30°39′S 24°1′E / 30.65°S 24.017°E / -30.65; 24.017 (De Aar)
De Aar 538 FADY 30°38′S 23°55′E / 30.633°S 23.917°E / -30.633; 23.917 (De Aar)
Döhne 754 32°31′S 27°28′E / 32.517°S 27.467°E / -32.517; 27.467 (Döhne)
Douglas 530 29°4′S 23°45′E / 29.067°S 23.75°E / -29.067; 23.75 (Douglas)
Durban International Airport 588 FADN 29°58′S 30°57′E / 29.967°S 30.95°E / -29.967; 30.95 (Durban International Airport)
East London Airport 858 FAEL 33°2′S 27°50′E / 33.033°S 27.833°E / -33.033; 27.833 (East London Airport)
Ellisras 156 FAER 23°43′35″S 27°41′18″E / 23.72639°S 27.68833°E / -23.72639; 27.68833 (Ellisras)
Estcourt 478 29°′S 29°53′E / Expression error: Unexpected < operator 29.883°E / Expression error: Unexpected < operator; 29.883 (Estcourt)
Fauresmith 542 29°46′S 25°19′E / 29.767°S 25.317°E / -29.767; 25.317 (Fauresmith)
Fleur De Lys 292 24°32′S 31°2′E / 24.533°S 31.033°E / -24.533; 31.033 (Fleur De Lys)
Frankfort 362 FAFF 27°16′S 28°30′E / 27.267°S 28.5°E / -27.267; 28.5 (Frankfort)
Fraserburg 624 FAFR 31°55′S 21°31′E / 31.917°S 21.517°E / -31.917; 21.517 (Fraserburg)
George Airport 828 FAGG 34°′S 22°23′E / Expression error: Unexpected < operator 22.383°E / Expression error: Unexpected < operator; 22.383 (George Airport)
Germiston 369 26°15′S 28°9′E / 26.25°S 28.15°E / -26.25; 28.15 (Germiston)
Gough Island 906 FAGE 40°21′S 9°53′W / 40.35°S 9.883°W / -40.35; -9.883 (Gough Island)
Graaff Reinet 736 FAGR 32°15′S 24°32′E / 32.25°S 24.533°E / -32.25; 24.533 (Graaff Reinet)
Graskop 286 24°56′S 30°50′E / 24.933°S 30.833°E / -24.933; 30.833 (Graskop)
Hoedspruit 290 FAHS 24°22′S 31°2′E / 24.367°S 31.033°E / -24.367; 31.033 (Hoedspruit)
Jansenville 738 32°56′S 24°40′E / 32.933°S 24.667°E / -32.933; 24.667 (Jansenville)
Kimberley Airport 438 FAKM 28°48′S 24°46′E / 28.8°S 24.767°E / -28.8; 24.767 (Kimberley Airport)
Klerksdorp 347 FAKD 26°52′S 26°43′E / 26.867°S 26.717°E / -26.867; 26.717 (Klerksdorp)
Kroonstad 352 27°40′S 27°15′E / 27.667°S 27.25°E / -27.667; 27.25 (Kroonstad)
Kuruman 332 27°28′S 23°26′E / 27.467°S 23.433°E / -27.467; 23.433 (Kuruman)
Ladysmith 476 FALY 28°34′S 29°46′E / 28.567°S 29.767°E / -28.567; 29.767 (Ladysmith)
AFB Langebaanweg 714 FALW 32°58′S 18°10′E / 32.967°S 18.167°E / -32.967; 18.167 (Langebaanweg)
Levubu 182 23°5′S 30°17′E / 23.083°S 30.283°E / -23.083; 30.283 (Levubu)
Lydenburg 184 25°6′S 30°28′E / 25.1°S 30.467°E / -25.1; 30.467 (Lydenburg)
Macuville 180 22°16′S 29°54′E / 22.267°S 29.9°E / -22.267; 29.9 (Macuville)
Mafikeng 242 FAMM 25°47′S 25°32′E / 25.783°S 25.533°E / -25.783; 25.533 (Mafikeng)
Makatini 400 27°24′S 32°11′E / 27.4°S 32.183°E / -27.4; 32.183 (Makatini)
Mara 176 23°9′S 29°34′E / 23.15°S 29.567°E / -23.15; 29.567 (Mara)
Marion Island 994 FAME 46°53′S 37°52′E / 46.883°S 37.867°E / -46.883; 37.867 (Marion Island)
Marnitz 162 23°9′S 28°13′E / 23.15°S 28.217°E / -23.15; 28.217 (Marnitz)
Matatiele 570 30°21′S 28°48′E / 30.35°S 28.8°E / -30.35; 28.8 (Matatiele)
Middelburg 638 FAMB 31°29′S 25°2′E / 31.483°S 25.033°E / -31.483; 25.033 (Middelburg)
Mossel Bay 928 FAMO 34°11′S 22°9′E / 34.183°S 22.15°E / -34.183; 22.15 (Mossel Bay)
Nelspruit 288 FANS 25°26′S 30°59′E / 25.433°S 30.983°E / -25.433; 30.983 (Nelspruit)
Newcastle 378 27°44′S 29°55′E / 27.733°S 29.917°E / -27.733; 29.917 (Newcastle)
OR Tambo International Airport 368 FAJS 26°8′S 28°14′E / 26.133°S 28.233°E / -26.133; 28.233 (OR Tambo International Airport)
Ottosdal 342 26°49′S 26°1′E / 26.817°S 26.017°E / -26.817; 26.017 (Ottosdal)
Oudestad 272 25°11′S 29°20′E / 25.183°S 29.333°E / -25.183; 29.333 (Oudestad)
Oudtshoorn 826 FAOH 33°34′S 22°13′E / 33.567°S 22.217°E / -33.567; 22.217 (Oudtshoorn)
Phalaborwa 190 FAPH 23°56′S 31°9′E / 23.933°S 31.15°E / -23.933; 31.15 (Phalaborwa)
Pietersburg 174 FAPB 23°52′S 29°27′E / 23.867°S 29.45°E / -23.867; 29.45 (Pietersburg)
Piet Retief 388 27°2′S 30°48′E / 27.033°S 30.8°E / -27.033; 30.8 (Piet Retief)
Pilansberg 250 25°20′S 27°10′E / 25.333°S 27.167°E / -25.333; 27.167 (Pilansberg)
Plessisdraai 344 27°59′S 26°8′E / 27.983°S 26.133°E / -27.983; 26.133 (Plessisdraai)
Pofadder 416 29°8′S 19°23′E / 29.133°S 19.383°E / -29.133; 19.383 (Pofadder)
Port Elizabeth Airport 842 FAPE 33°59′S 25°36′E / 33.983°S 25.6°E / -33.983; 25.6 (Port Elizabeth Airport)
Port Nolloth 408 29°14′S 16°52′E / 29.233°S 16.867°E / -29.233; 16.867 (Port Nolloth)
Port Shepstone 584 30°44′S 30°27′E / 30.733°S 30.45°E / -30.733; 30.45 (Port Shepstone)
Port St Johns 674 FAPJ 31°38′S 29°33′E / 31.633°S 29.55°E / -31.633; 29.55 (Port St Johns)
Postmasburg 430 28°19′S 23°4′E / 28.317°S 23.067°E / -28.317; 23.067 (Postmasburg)
Potchefstroom Agric. 350 26°44′S 27°4′E / 26.733°S 27.067°E / -26.733; 27.067 (Potchefstroom Agric.)
Potchefstroom Upper-Air 351 26°40′S 27°6′E / 26.667°S 27.1°E / -26.667; 27.1 (Potchefstroom Upper-Air)
Potgietersrus 276 24°11′S 29°1′E / 24.183°S 29.017°E / -24.183; 29.017 (Potgietersrus)
Pretoria (Irene) 263 FAIR 25°55′S 28°13′E / 25.917°S 28.217°E / -25.917; 28.217 (Pretoria (Irene))
Pretoria 262 FAPR 25°44′S 28°11′E / 25.733°S 28.183°E / -25.733; 28.183 (Pretoria)
Prieska 528 29°40′S 22°45′E / 29.667°S 22.75°E / -29.667; 22.75 (Prieska)
Queenstown 648 FAQT 31°54′S 26°52′E / 31.9°S 26.867°E / -31.9; 26.867 (Queenstown)
Richard Bay 498 FARB 28°48′S 32°6′E / 28.8°S 32.1°E / -28.8; 32.1 (Richard Bay)
Riversdale 926 34°5′S 21°15′E / 34.083°S 21.25°E / -34.083; 21.25 (Riversdale)
Robertson 718 33°50′S 19°54′E / 33.833°S 19.9°E / -33.833; 19.9 (Robertson)
Rustenburg 252 25°43′S 27°18′E / 25.717°S 27.3°E / -25.717; 27.3 (Rustenburg)
Shaleburn 572 29°48′S 29°21′E / 29.8°S 29.35°E / -29.8; 29.35 (Shaleburn)
Sheeprun 564 30°59′S 28°23′E / 30.983°S 28.383°E / -30.983; 28.383 (Sheeprun)
Skukuza 296 24°59′S 31°36′E / 24.983°S 31.6°E / -24.983; 31.6 (Skukuza)
Somerset East 742 32°44′S 25°35′E / 32.733°S 25.583°E / -32.733; 25.583 (Somerset East)
Springbok 512 FASB 29°40′S 17°52′E / 29.667°S 17.867°E / -29.667; 17.867 (Springbok)
Standerton 372 26°56′S 29°14′E / 26.933°S 29.233°E / -26.933; 29.233 (Standerton)
Sutherland 722 32°23′S 20°40′E / 32.383°S 20.667°E / -32.383; 20.667 (Sutherland)
Taung 336 27°33′S 24°46′E / 27.55°S 24.767°E / -27.55; 24.767 (Taung)
Thabazimbi 254 24°35′S 27°25′E / 24.583°S 27.417°E / -24.583; 27.417 (Thabazimbi)
Thohoyandou 192 22°58′S 30°30′E / 22.967°S 30.5°E / -22.967; 30.5 (Thohoyandou)
Touws River 818 33°21′S 20°3′E / 33.35°S 20.05°E / -33.35; 20.05 (Touws River)
Tristan Da Cunha 902 FATC 37°3′S 12°19′W / 37.05°S 12.317°W / -37.05; -12.317 (Tristan Da Cunha)
Tswelopele 284 24°39′S 30°17′E / 24.65°S 30.283°E / -24.65; 30.283 (Tswelopele)
Twee Riviere 322 26°28′S 20°37′E / 26.467°S 20.617°E / -26.467; 20.617 (Twee Riviere)
Tzaneen 186 23°50′S 30°9′E / 23.833°S 30.15°E / -23.833; 30.15 (Tzaneen)
Umtata 668 FAUT 31°32′S 28°40′E / 31.533°S 28.667°E / -31.533; 28.667 (Umtata)
Upington Airport 424 FAUP 28°24′S 21°16′E / 28.4°S 21.267°E / -28.4; 21.267 (Upington Airport)
Vanwyksvlei 524 30°21′S 21°49′E / 30.35°S 21.817°E / -30.35; 21.817 (Vanwyksvlei)
Vanzylsrus 330 26°53′S 22°3′E / 26.883°S 22.05°E / -26.883; 22.05 (Vanzylsrus)
Vredendal 614 FAVR 31°40′S 18°30′E / 31.667°S 18.5°E / -31.667; 18.5 (Vredendal)
Vryburg 338 FAVB 26°57′S 24°38′E / 26.95°S 24.633°E / -26.95; 24.633 (Vryburg)
Warmbaths 268 24°54′S 28°20′E / 24.9°S 28.333°E / -24.9; 28.333 (Warmbaths)
AFB Waterkloof 264 FAWK 25°50′S 28°13′E / 25.833°S 28.217°E / -25.833; 28.217
Welkom 346 FAWM 28°′S 26°40′E / Expression error: Unexpected < operator 26.667°E / Expression error: Unexpected < operator; 26.667 (Welkom)
Wepener 550 29°44′S 27°2′E / 29.733°S 27.033°E / -29.733; 27.033 (Wepener)
Willowmore 832 33°17′S 23°30′E / 33.283°S 23.5°E / -33.283; 23.5 (Willowmore)


[edit] Weather radar
Near real-time (~5 minutes delay) weather radar is publicly available for most of the country, even within the Kruger National Park.


Marine weather buoys
Between 30 and 40 drifting weather buoys are deployed annually.


Weather modification
The SAWS, in cooperation with a number of other entities, is actively involved in weather control research under the South African National Precipitation Research and Rainfall Enhancement Programme, specifically with the Bethlehem Precipitation Research Project

Texas Cable News, TXCN, is a 24-hour regional cable news network based in Dallas, Texas.

Texas, Cable, News, (TXCN), is a 24-hour regional cable news network based in Dallas, Texas. The service is owned by Belo Corporation, and operates out of the Belo campus in downtown Dallas.

TXCN combines the news staffs of four of Belo's Texas television stations—WFAA-TV in Dallas, KHOU-TV in Houston, KENS-TV in San Antonio, and KVUE in Austin—in addition to the Belo-owned Dallas Morning News and the company's Washington, D.C. news bureau.

On January 1, 2005 Texas Cable News programming was scaled down after 45 of the 75 staffers were let go. The announcement came on December 4, 2004. Parent company BELO, based in Dallas, attributed the failure of Texas Cable News to a lack of distribution on cable systems in Texas' largest TV markets.


TXCN now airs repackaged content from BELO sister stations in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. All original programming, minus weather and occasional original programming, was dropped along with on-air talent, except for weather department staff.

TXCN is available in the following markets (all cable systems Time Warner unless otherwise noted):

Austin - Channel 324
Beaumont - Channel 58
Houston (Comcast) - Channel 230
San Antonio - Channel 232
Corpus Christi - Channel 74
Laredo - Channel 28
Texarkana (Channel One) - Channel 53
Dallas/Fort Worth (Charter in some areas) - Channel 38
Port Arthur / Beaumont - Channel 58
Waco - Channel 74
El Paso - Channel 18
Rio Grande Valley - Channel 39
Wichita Falls - Channel 38

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards,

NOAA, Weather, Radio, All, Hazards, NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio is a network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from a nearby National Weather Service (NWS) office. It is operated by the NWS, an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) within the United States Department of Commerce. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day. It also broadcasts alerts of non-weather emergencies such as national security, natural, environmental, and public safety (see: AMBER Alert) through the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System.

Known as the Voice of NOAA's National Weather Service, NWR is provided as a public service by the NOAA. NWR includes more than 940 transmitters , covering all 50 U.S. states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and Saipan. NWR requires a special radio receiver or scanner capable of receiving the signal.


The radio service transmits weather warnings and forecasts 24 hours a day. In addition to weather information, NWR works in cooperation with the FCC Emergency Alert System, providing comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with federal, state, and local emergency managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards, including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages).

Many television stations which broadcast in MTS stereo and have the capability (both commercial and public), will also air their local feed of NWR on their second audio program channel if they aren't carrying a program which features either a Spanish language translation or a Descriptive Video Service track for the visually impaired. Some digital subchannels which carry weather information may also have NWR airing in the background, while regular analog television stations carry the audio during times they are off-the-air and transmitting a test pattern, in lieu of a reference tone.

Most stations broadcast on a special VHF frequency band at 162 MHz, which has seven FM channels reserved to weather radio broadcasts. The original frequency was 162.550, with 162.400 and 162.475 being added later. In recent years, the proliferation of stations meant to make sure everyone has access to warnings has pushed that number to seven, now including the "intermediate" channels of 162.425, 162.450, 162.500, and 162.525 MHz. These channels (often numbered in that order) are receivable on special weather radio receivers, available by mail-order and at some retailers, on most marine VHF radio transceivers, Amateur radios, and on scanners. These "weather radios" are available for prices ranging from US$35 and up. In addition, many consumer electronics, such as two-way radios and CB radios, are now being sold with the ability to receive weather radio broadcasts.

As of late 2006, there are more than 900 NWS transmitters serving 95% of the United States population. There are two different channel numbering systems used by various weather radio manufacturers. The first is the chronological sequence that the radio frequencies were allocated to the service: 1=162.550, 2=162.400, 3=162.475, 4=162.425, 5=162.450, 6=162.500, 7=162.525. The second is in simple increasing radio frequency sequence: 1=162.400, 2=162.425, 3=162.450, 4=162.475, 5=162.500, 6=162.525, 7=162.550. In addition, it may be possible to receive weather broadcasts on more than one of the seven channels at a given location. The NWS suggests that users determine which frequency (as opposed to channel) is intended for their specific location so that they are assured of receiving correct information.


Alerting
When a weather warning is issued for the area which a station covers, certain weather radios are designed to turn on or sound an alarm upon detection of a 1050 Hz tone, issued for ten seconds immediately before the warning message. The specification calls for the NWS transmitter to send the 1050 Hz tone for 10 seconds, and the receiver to decode it within 5 seconds (any extra tone time over and above the decode time is considered as part of the alerting mechanism). This system simply turns on the audio of every muted receiver within the radio horizon of the transmitter (i.e. any receiver within the transmitters "footprint").

Newer radios can instead detect a digital-over-audio protocol called Specific Area Message Encoding or SAME, which allows the users to program their radios for specific geographical areas of interest and concern, rather than for an entire regional broadcast area. The SAME code is broadcast, followed by the 1050 Hz tone. The beauty of the SAME codes is that they eliminate the numerous "false alarms" for the 1050 Hz weather alerts that may apply to an area 100 or 150 miles (240 km) distant. The SAME codes are mostly aligned along county lines using the standard US Government FIPS county codes. Most modern SAME equipped radios can be programmed to receive alerts for more than one FIPS code if the user is located along a county boundary.

Once the SAME receivers are programmed they will limit alarms to only certain warnings, and only to the actual section of the broadcast area which the listener is located prior to the broadcast of the 1050 Hz tone. Some receivers allow you to program in several codes so you can include the areas surrounding your location. For example, if your area has frequent storm warnings, and the storms usually come from the east, you can program your receiver for the code for your area, plus the code for the area to the east. (This notification system was later adopted by the Emergency Alert System—the replacement for the earlier Emergency Broadcast System and even earlier CONELRAD) now required by the FCC for broadcast stations.

In September 2008, Walgreens announced that it would utilize the SAME/NOAA system to deliver local weather alerts via their system of LED billboards located outside of the drugstore chain's locations built or remodeled since 2000 to provide an additional avenue of weather information .

In Canada, stations officially implemented SAME in May 2007. Many Canadian stations also used to operate Weathercopy, which was a data stream that transmitted entire text forecasts and warnings, but was not designed for alerting. This system was decommissioned in 2003 because of new technologies such as the internet and satellite.

Ullum Department,

Ullum, is a department, of the province of San Juan (Argentina). It is located in the center south of the province, dominated a landscape of mountains and low vegetation is also characterized by its production of at and fruit. Within its surface is Ullum Dam


Origin of name
The name of this department is of Indian origin that is translated to mean head phallus. This may mark the place where rituals were held for aspiring young Aboriginal warriors or be related to the fertility of the land in the area, alluding directly to male fertility



Geography
Ullum The department is located in the centre west of the San Juan Province, northwest of the City of San Juan, has a asuperficie of 4,391 square kilometres. Its boundaries are:

In the northern department Jáchal
To the south with the Zonda and Rivadavia
At this with the Albardón
To the west with the Calingasta Zonda and Iglesia
The department Ullum has stressed that it is highly uneven (mountainous), since its entire surface is located on the cord or central precordilleranas of San Juan, between the mountains are the most prominent lomadas Las Tapias, of Talacasto, the Dehesa and Villicum to the east and saw Tiger and the Invernada in the west. In the south highlights the San Juan River which flows into the Ullum Dam.

The weather department is desert with little presipitaciones, with temperatures of 35 ° C in summer with obsolutas up to 40 ° C in winter and dry 16 º C, with the presence of heledas with -8 ° C. The climate is characterized by the influence of the dam on the lake's temperature and by occasional snowfall in the area Talacasto.

The flora, be characterized by xerófila. The fauna includes species such as hares, puma, vizcachas, martinetas, guanacos, wild birds and pejerreyes.

Quindío Department,

The, Department, of, Quindío, is a department, of, Colombia, It is in the western central region of the country, crossed by the Andes mountains. Its capital is Armenia. It is famous by the quality of the coffee plantations, colourful architecture, benign weather, plenty of options in hotel accommodations and touristic landmarks. This department is located in a strategic area, in the center of the triangle formed by the three main cities of the country: Bogotá, Medellín and Cali. Quindio is the smallest Colombian department (0.2% of the national territory) with 12 municipalties. Etnographically and culturally it belongs to the Paisa region.

Most of its surface is occupied for the western face of the Cordillera Central. Highest mountain: Nevado del Quindío, (Snow Mountain of Quindio) 5.150 m high. The lowest area is the valley of la Vieja River, 1.100 m high.


There are in this department about 1.845 km² of mountain landscapes, with many Rainforests and Guadua bamboo forests. The ground is enriched with ancient volcanic eruptions, rising its fertility, there are also many rivers and minor water streams, including the Quindío River and the Cocora valley located in this river origin.

The weather has a wide range, given the variations on termic floors. It has a high annual rain precipitation (around 2500 mm/year) because the humidity of winds from the Pacific Ocean stopped by the Andes. There are two rainy seasons (April and November). The average of temperature is between 24°C in La Vieja river and 16°C in Salento.

Quindío Wax Palm Tree

Quindio Wax palm tree is the national tree of ColombiaWith law 61 of 1985, the Colombian Congress adopted Quindío Wax Palm Tree [ Ceroxylon quindiuense (Karsten) Wendl.], a local endangered species of high-altitude-adapted palm tree, as the National Tree. As ratified on September 16 for the current president of Colombia, Belisario Betancur, in the following terms: "1º. It's declared as national tree and symbol of our fatherland the species commonly known as quindio wax palm tree, scientific name ceroxylon quindiuense. 2º. National Government Is faculted to buy as many lands as needed to create wildlife sanctuaries with the purpose of preserve this national symbol and its natural environment. 3º. Chopping down the wax palm tree is forbidden and punished with fine and jail"."

The wax palm tree was nearly extincted for the extraction of the resinous substance that it exudes. Furthermore, its leaves were widely used for the celebration of Holy Week processions, especially Palm Sunday.


Economy
Economy is mainly based in the harvest of coffee plant. It is one of the most important producers of Colombian coffee. The department belongs to the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis which is the centre of production and export of the highest quality coffee in Colombia. Plantain, cassava, Salentune potato and sugarcane are also cultivated, mostly for consume in the local markets.

In recent years, due to instability in the international coffee market, and attacks on the coffee fields by plagues such as Roya (Hemileia vastatrix) and Broca (Coffee borer beetle) (Hypothenemus hampei), interest has been directed to alternative options like citrus fruits and macadamia nuts. There is, however a growing tourism industry based in the interest of traditional peasant culture, natural resources, and typical landscapes.

Nevertheless, since the Tourism industry is seasonal and the agriculture is debilitated, there is lack of steady jobs and sources of income, and as result the department has the highest rates of unemployment in the country (data from the National department of Statistics DANE 2003).


Tourism
Quimbaya museum
Colombian National Coffee Park
PANACA park
Cocora Valley
Mariposario (Butterfly vivarium)
National Bamboo and Guadua Investigation Center
Peñasblancas
Snow Mountain of Quindio

Culture

Cuisine
Some of the typical food and drinks are:

The Salentune Patacón, which is made with plantain, smashed in a thin layer, fried and covered with grinded cheese and pineapple sauce.
The Quindian arepa filled with shredded chicken and pieces of pig chicharrón.
The Cocora baked trout.
The Maduro is a broiled plantain filled with cheese and Bocadillo (thick guava jam).
The roasted gurre
The guatin stew
The coffee wine (obtained from fermentation of coffee berries) with kahlua-like flavor
The coffee arequipe
The corn chicha fermented in a large pottery recipient containing a horseshoe to enhance the flavor.
The Carajillo, typical cocktail made of one part of hot coffee, one part of sugarcane aguardiente and cinnamon sticks.

Festivals and celebrations
Quindio department is the main exponent of traditional Cultura Cafetera (coffee culture) in the country, and there are several events all aroun the year that attracts a large number of visitors to this region. With the purpose of preserve this cultural expressions, the regional government promotes the declaration of Patrimony of Humanity by the Unesco

Among other events:


Paper lanterns in Quimbaya, Quindío candlelight festivalThe National Coffee Party is the main event of the department. It is celebrated each year since 1960 in Calarcá, the last days of June. The event includes the national beauty contest of coffee.
The international fair of handcrafts, each may in Armenia.
The day of St. Isidro (July-all the municipalties).
The National festival of kites (august- La Tebaida).
The anniversary of Armenia (October), with the Yipao or jeep parade.
The candlelight festival of Quimbaya (December) .
The Bullfighting season of La Macarena (January- Armenia).

Fauna and Flora

Odontoglossum
cruentumQuindio is the natural habitat of 520 species of birds and about 60 species of mammals. Many of them are endemisms. The area has the largest number of heliconia species in the world and a large numbers of species of orchids, mainly of the genera cattleya, odontoglossum, miltonia, phragmipedium and peristeria. Due to agricultural activities the amount of natural forests typical of the area, such the páramo, the cloud forest are decreasing progressively. This has caused that many of the endemic species are threatened, endangered or critically endangered. Some of them are:

The Air Force Weather Agency, AFWA,

The Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) is a Field Operating Agency (FOA) and the lead weather center of the United States Air Force. AFWA enhances the combat capability of the United States by delivering timely, accurate, and reliable environmental situational awareness worldwide to the Air Force, the Army, joint warfighters, Unified Combatant Commands, the national intelligence community, and the Secretary of Defense. The agency is currently headquartered at Offutt Air Force Base, near Omaha, Nebraska.

AFWA is a leader in military meteorology. It fields high quality weather equipment and training to Air Force operational weather squadrons and weather flights at locations around the world. AFWA builds a comprehensive weather database of forecast, climatological, and space weather products. These products and services are exploited by the U.S. Department of Defense field commanders and decision makers for many military operations, contingency missions, and humanitarian relief efforts conducted by the United States.





Mission
The Air Force Weather Agency's mission statement is as follows:

"The mission of Air Force Weather Agency is to maximize America's Air, Space, Cyberspace, and Land Power by enabling decision makers to exploit relevant environmental information across the full spectrum of warfare. AFWA is a Field Operating Agency, reporting to United States Air Force Director of Weather, Deputy Chief of Staff Air and Space Operations (USAF/A3O-W)."


Personnel and resources
AFWA manning consists of more than 1,100 active-duty, reserve, civilian and contract personnel and is headquartered on Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. AFWA executes a $175 million annual budget.

AFWA is organized into a headquarters element, consisting of staff agencies, two groups, three directorates, a subordinate center, and five solar observatories.

The 1st Weather Group (1 WXG), with headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., aligns stateside weather operations with the Air Force warfighting initiative overseeing Operational Weather Squadrons. Each of the squadrons produces forecasts for a specified area of the United States. The 15th OWS, located at Scott Air Force Base Ill, is responsible for the Northern and Northeast United States; 25th OWS, located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., is responsible for the Western United States; and 26th OWS, located at Barksdale Air Force Base, La, is responsible for the Southern United States. The squadrons also serve as training hubs for new weather professionals - both enlisted and officers. The 1st WXG arms our weather professionals with the training and skills necessary to deliver environmental intelligence for commanders and military decision makers.

The 2nd Weather Group (2 WXG), with headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., delivers timely, relevant and specialized terrestrial, space and climatological global environmental intelligence to Joint warfighters, DoD decision-makers, national agencies, and allied nations for the planning and execution of missions across the complete spectrum of military operations through the operation, sustainment and maintenance of Air Force Weather's $277M strategic center computer complex, production network, and applications. The 2nd WXG is composed of Offutt AFB's 2nd Weather Squadron, 2nd Systems Operations Squadron and 14th Weather Squadron in Asheville, N.C. It also includes four solar observatories which fall under the 2nd WS: Det. 1, Learmonth, Australia; Det. 2, Sagamore Hill, Mass.; Det. 4, Holloman AFB, N.M.; and Det. 5, Palehua, Hawaii.

The Air and Space Operations, Plans and Requirements Directorate (A3/5) assists Air Staff in managing AFW career field training requirements process, and obtains and implements training to meet those requirements. The directorate helps exploit weather information for warfighting operations and coordinates AFW policy issues and oversees and executes the AFW Standardization and Evaluation Program for Weather Operations (SEPWO). A3/5 also develops and maintains concepts of operations (CONOPS) for how AFW supports the most weather sensitive joint capabilities areas, works with Air Staff to integrate AFW CONOPS with AF plans and programs, and is lead command agent for gathering operational requirements, in conjunction with MAJCOM functional counterparts and users of AFW products, data, and services.

The Communications Directorate (A6) provides policy and planning oversight of command, control, and communications for the Air Force Weather Agency, supporting contingency actions, daily operations and general C4 support.

The Strategic Plans and Programs Directorate (A8) directs the planning, programming, budgeting, development, acquisition, engineering, configuration management, modification, installation, integration, logistics, and life cycle support of all standard weather systems and computer processing equipment.


Subordinate unit
Air Force Combat Weather Center (AFCWC), located at Hurlburt Field, Florida, develops, evaluates, exploits, and implements new tactics, techniques, procedures, and technologies across Air Force Weather to enhance the effectiveness of Air Force, Army, Special Forces, joint, and combined operations.

The agency co-sponsors COMET, the Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology, Education and Training, with the civilian National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.


New AFWA buildingThe new Air Force Weather Agency Building, valued at $26.7 million, with a total of 188,000 sq ft (17,500 m2). The three-story building, designed to support 1,100 people, and is scheduled to become fully operational by 2011 as the AFWA staff relocates in increments. The new facility is a gold certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design structure by the U.S. Green Building Council. The LEED rating is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. Being a LEED-certified building means the facility has been designed to and reached a recognized level of implementation and continuous monitoring of their "green" programs such as energy efficiency, recycling and the use of environmentally friendly products. The new AFWA building is an example of the emphasis the Air Force is placing on responsible use of and preservation of the environment. By becoming LEED certified, the AFWA facility will do its part to accomplish the vision of the Air Force Environmental Strategic Plan - fully supporting Air Force missions with natural infrastructure assets while protecting human health and safety and the environment. Initiatives and concepts incorporated into the AFWA headquarters building are part of the reason the Air Force was recently named number one among the nation's top 10 federal government green power partners.