[PBARC] NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS TO PROVIDE MORE PRECISE LOCATION THIS FALL

[E Glenn Wolf Jr]

    *Weather Warnings To Provide More Precise Location /(2007-03-19)/* 
  	NOAA
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http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2776.htm

NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS TO PROVIDE MORE 
PRECISE LOCATION THIS FALL
Jan. 16, 2007 — The NOAA National Weather Service will introduce this 
fall storm-based warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, flash 
floods and marine hazards that are more geographically specific for 
these short-duration weather events. Currently, such warnings are issued 
county wide. (Click NOAA image for larger view of NOAA Storm-based 
Warnings by county versus the more geographically specific locations due 
to take effect in October 2007. Please credit “NOAA.”)
"Weather doesn't follow geopolitical boundaries," said retired Air Force 
Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, director of the NOAA National Weather 
Service. "Storm-based warnings provide the public with more specific 
information about the location of severe weather and the direction it is 
expected to move. Seconds count during tornadoes and flash floods. We 
want to provide the public with the most accurate description of what's 
happening in their neighborhood. We also want to avoid warning 
non-threatened portions of the county."
When issuing a warning, the NOAA National Weather Service will specify 
areas within a county and refer to commonly known landmarks such as 
highways or rivers.
"This is a fundamental change in our warning procedures and a major 
enhancement in our service capability," said Johnson. "Storm-based 
warnings will drastically improve graphical displays and empower the 
private sector to easily distribute the information through Web-enabled 
PDAs, cell phone alerts, pagers and other technologies. Communicating 
severe weather threats in this way is imperative in today's digital 
world." (Click NOAA image for larger view of the improved NOAA 
Storm-based Warnings due to take effect in October 2007. Please credit 
“NOAA.”)
The new warnings will take effect October 1, 2007.
NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 
years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of 
the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of 
the Weather Bureau and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the 1870s, 
much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. NOAA is 
dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the 
prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and 
information service delivery for transportation, and by providing 
environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. 
Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), 
NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and 
the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is 
as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
Relevant Web Sites
NOAA National Weather Service
NOAA Weather Portal
Media Contact:
Theresa Eisenman, NOAA National Weather Service, (301) 580-5797

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2007/s2776.htm

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Thanks,

Glenn