Technical Implementation Notice

NOUS41 KWBC  011746
PNSWSH

TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE 07-31
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
145 PM EDT TUES MAY 1 2007

TO:          FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAA 
             WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS... 
             EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK 
             /EMWIN/ SUBSCRIBERS...NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...
             OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ CUSTOMERS   
             AND PARTNERS...AND NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM:        GLENN AUSTIN
             DIGITAL SERVICES TRANSITION MANAGER
             OFFICE OF CLIMATE...WATER...AND WEATHER SERVICES 

SUBJECT:     PROBABILISTIC TROPICAL CYCLONE SURFACE WIND SPEED 
             ELEMENTS TO BECOME OPERATIONAL IN THE NATIONAL  
             DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE ON MAY 31 2007 WITH THE 
             1200 UTC ISSUANCE

REFER TO:    TIN 07-32 ANNOUNCING SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT 
             ELEMENT BECOMING OPERATIONAL IN NDFD ON THE SAME 
             DATE
 
EFFECTIVE MAY 31 2007 WITH THE 1200 COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME 
/UTC/ FORECASTS...THE PROBABILISTIC TROPICAL CYCLONE SURFACE 
WIND SPEED ELEMENTS IN THE NATIONAL DIGITAL FORECAST DATABASE 
/NDFD/ WILL BE UPGRADED FROM EXPERIMENTAL TO OPERATIONAL STATUS.  
THESE ELEMENTS HAVE BEEN EXPERIMENTAL IN NDFD SINCE 
SEPTEMBER 2004.

THE PROBABILISTIC TROPICAL CYCLONE SURFACE WIND SPEED ELEMENTS 
ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH 120 HOURS AT 6 HOURLY INTERVALS AT 
5 KILOMETER SPATIAL RESOLUTION...FOR THE COTERMINOUS UNITED 
STATES /CONUS/ AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...AND FOR THE 16 
PRE-DEFINED NDFD CONUS SUBSECTORS AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL 
WATERS. THESE FORECASTS ARE PROVIDED FOR THREE WIND SPEED 
THRESHOLDS: 34...50...AND 64 KNOTS.  TWO TYPES OF WIND SPEED 
PROBABILITIES...CUMULATIVE AND INCREMENTAL...ARE PROVIDED.  
DEFINITIONS OF THESE PROBABILITIES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE 
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER WEB PAGE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

        HTTP://WWW.NHC.NOAA.GOV/ABOUTNHCPROBS.SHTML

AND IN THE LIST OF NDFD ELEMENT DEFINITIONS AT /USE LOWER CASE 
LETTERS/:

      HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/NDFD/DEFINITIONS.HTM

USERS OF NDFD GRAPHICS...NDFD IN EXTENSIBLE MARKUP LANGUAGE 
/XML/ VIA WEB SERVICE...OR THE NEW EXPERIMENTAL NDFD WEB FEATURE 
SERVICE BEING IMPLEMENTED TODAY /MAY 1 2007/ ARE NOT AFFECTED BY 
THIS CHANGE IN STATUS FROM EXPERIMENTAL TO OPERATIONAL.

THIS CHANGE PRIMARILY AFFECTS USERS WHO PULL THESE ELEMENTS IN 
GRIDDED BINARY /GRIB2/ FORMAT FROM THE NWS FILE TRANSFER 
PROTOCOL /FTP/ SERVER...EITHER VIA THE INTERNET OR VIA THE 
FAMILY OF SERVICES SERVER ACCESS SERVICE.  THOSE USERS WILL NEED 
TO PULL THESE ELEMENTS FROM A DIFFERENT URL/S/ TO CONTINUE TO 
RECEIVE THE SIX PROBABILISTIC TROPICAL CYCLONE SURFACE WIND 
SPEED ELEMENTS AND MAY NEED TO UPDATE PROCEDURES AND/OR SCRIPTS 
TO ENSURE CONTINUED ACCESS TO THESE ELEMENTS.  

ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THIS IMPLEMENTATION...INCLUDING 
SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR FTP USERS...ARE AVAILABLE AT /USE LOWER 
CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/WAVEH_6TPC_OPER_IMPLEM.HTM

IF MAY 31 2007 IS A CRITICAL WEATHER DAY...THIS IMPLEMENTATION 
MAY BE POSTPONED. IN THAT CASE USERS WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THAT 
DECISION VIA A TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE AS FAR IN ADVANCE 
AS POSSIBLE.

DETAILED INFORMATION ON OPTIONS FOR ACCESSING AND USING THE NDFD 
IS AVAILABLE AT /USER LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

        HTTP://NDFD.WEATHER.GOV/TECHNICAL.HTM

A PRODUCT DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT /PDD/ FOR THE OPERATIONAL 
PROBABILISTIC TROPICAL CYCLONE SURFACE WIND SPEED ELEMENTS IN 
NDFD IS AVAILABLE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS:/

        HTTP://PRODUCTS.WEATHER.GOV/VIEWLIST.PHP

GO TO PAGE 10 FOR THE PDD DESCRIBING THE TROPICAL CYCLONE 
PROBABILISTIC SURFACE WIND SPEED GRIDDED DATA.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS NOTICE...PLEASE CONTACT:

     TIMOTHY SCHOTT
     NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
     MARINE AND COASTAL SERVICES BRANCH
     1325 EAST WEST HIGHWAY
     SILVER SPRING MARYLAND 20910
     EMAIL:  TIMOTHY.SCHOTT@NOAA.GOV

IF YOU HAVE TECHNICAL QUESTIONS REGARDING THE NDFD DATA...PLEASE 
CONTACT:

     DAVID RUTH
     CHIEF...MESOSCALE PREDICTION BRANCH
     NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
     OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
     1325 EAST WEST HIGHWAY
     SILVER SPRING MARYLAND 20910
     E-MAIL:  DAVID.RUTH@NOAA.GOV

TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICES SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO THE 
NDFD ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/NDFD/TINS.HTM

ALL NWS TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICES ARE POSTED AT /USE 
LOWER CASE LETTERS/:

     HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OM/NOTIF.HTM

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