HOT ISSUES

I. KEY DEPARTMENT NEWS

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Weather Service (NWS) Participates in Missouri State Crisis Communications Conference. On February 13-14, 2004, personnel from the four NWS offices serving Missouri will participate in the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency 2004 Crisis Communications Conference in Osage Beach, MO. This year's conference will focus on communication challenges faced in Missouri during May 2003 tornadoes, Amber Alert Technology, and Emergency Alert Systems (including All-Hazard NOAA Weather Radio). NWS personnel from forecast offices in Springfield, St. Louis, and Kansas City, MO, and Paducah, KY, will share updates about NWS products, services, and interagency communications and coordination. (Contact: James Kramper, WFO St. Louis, MO, 636-447-1887)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Weather Service (NWS) Partners with Iowa High School Athletics Association to Promote Lightning Safety. On February 7 and March 29, 2004, staff from NWS's forecast office in Des Moines will partner with the Iowa High School Athletic Association to promote lightning safety awareness to high school athletes, coaches, and state officials. The NWS will address the Iowa Baseball Coaches meeting (February 7) in Cedar Rapids and the annual High School Athletic Directors meeting ( March 29) in Des Moines. Each year, about 400 children and adults in the U.S. are struck by lightning, and there are an average of 73 reported lightning deaths. Lightning has been the second largest storm killer in the U.S. for the last 40 years, exceeded only by floods. NWS personnel will give safety tips and distribute safety guides and lightning awareness posters at this event. (Contact: Andy Kula, WFO Des Moines, 515-270-4501)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Weather Service (NWS) to Participate in Science Olympiad. On February 5-6, 2004, the NWS will participate in the Kansas Science Olympiad in Garden City, KS. The Kansas Science Olympiad is a statewide interscholastic competition which challenges the abilities of secondary school teams to demonstrate their knowledge, ability, and skills in all areas of science. NWS personnel will administer a competition event designed for meteorology, with eight teams of students from western Kansas expected to compete. This specific competition was developed by NWS Weather Forecast Office staff in Dodge City, KS. A National Science Olympiad will be held in May 2004 where 108 teams from high schools and middle schools across the country and Canada will compete in a 23 science-based events. (Contact: Jeff Hutton, WFO Dodge City, 620-225-6514)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Weather Service (NWS) Reviews 2003 Fire Weather Season. On February 3, 2004, NWS will host a meeting with national fire management agencies in Boise, ID. Participants will review the 2003 fire weather season in light of the 2003 "Interagency Agreement for Meteorological Services between the Wildland Fire Agencies and the National Weather Service (NWS)" and discuss lessons learned during the season. The agencies will also discuss ways to improve the partnership between the NWS and the fire management agencies. Fire weather representatives from the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the National Association of State Foresters will attend. (Contact: Glenn Austin, W/OS22, 301-713-1867, ext. 107)

NWS Pacific Region Assists the Department of Labor Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) for Disabled Persons. Efforts by the NWS Pacific Region to bring the WRP to the Pacific Islands have paid off. Pacific Region worked with the University of Hawaii to insure that a WRP recruiter will visit Honolulu on February 12, 2004, to interview local disabled college students. Over 20 students have signed up, many of whom will eventually end up in the WRP database for Hawaii employees eligible for summer employment in 2004 in Hawaii and on the Mainland. (Contact: R. Jeffrey LaDouce, W/PR, 808-532-6416)

NWS to Host Fairfax Science Teachers Group. On January 26, 2004, approximately 25-40 science teachers from Fairfax County, VA, will spend their "in-service" day at NWS headquarters in Silver Spring, MD, visiting the Office of Climate, Water and Weather Services (OCWWS). They will be updated on the latest science improvements in severe weather forecasting. The Virginia Standards of Learning and the National Science Standards include standards about science as a human endeavor, the relationship between science and technology, and using science in our every day lives. Meteorology is a way for students and teachers to use math and science in a way that compliments their everyday experience. Working with representatives from the Fairfax County Public Schools, NWS has developed a four hour short course on severe weather, including hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, winter storms, dissemination, and additional NOAA resources for educators. (Contact: Bob McLeod, W/OS51, 301-713-0090, ext. 155)

NWS Level II Radar Data Collection and Redistribution Update. As of January 16, 2004, 102 sites are sending Level II data to the server at the University of Oklahoma and then on to the National Climatic Data Center for inclusion in the archives. The problem preventing the four remaining Eastern Region sites from joining the network is being resolved. The Southern Region headquarters connectivity problems should be resolved and those sites added to the network by the end of February. At last week's American Meteorological Society annual meeting, the NWS announced plans to include all Department of Defense CONUS sites in the network. These additional ten sites will join the network when they install WSR-88D Radar Product Generator Build 6 and required hardware (fall/winter 2004/5). The NWS continues to await Department of Commerce General Counsel approval of the proposed Memorandum of Agreements with the top-tier sites before announcing the NWS Level II data distribution plans. (Contact: Tim Crum, W/OPS4, 405-366-6510, ext. 1231)

NWS's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Listed on Tour Route for the Wind Power Trail Project. On January 15, 2004, Seth Davidson, Project Manager of the Wind Power Trail Project and Marcy Jarrett of the Norman Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Brian Sargent of the Norman Transcript, a local Norman OK, newspaper, toured the SPC. The group was interested in seeing unique points of interest in the area along the Wind Power Trail which stretches from Lubbock, TX, to various locations in Oklahoma. The Wind Power Trail is an Interstate Tourism Project designed to attract visitors to urban and rural areas of Oklahoma and Texas. The Trail interprets the history of wind energy along a 600 mile corridor. The SPC is listed as a unique place to visit along the trail. (Contact: Lauren Morone, W/NP, 301-763-8000, ext. 7010)

Climate Prediction Center Participates in UV Index Town Hall Meeting. A Town Hall meeting on the topic of the UV Index was held during the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting on January 14, 2004, in Seattle, WA. Walt Lyons (new AMS President) chaired the meeting. Robin Hornung, a Pediatric Dermatologist, presented a physician's viewpoint of overexposure to UV radiation and provided a powerful motivation for why the UV Index and health messages need to continually reach the public. An open forum followed the talks. USA Today expressed interest in providing almanac-type information for travelers, and is considering adding the UV Index forecasts to their weather page. (Contact: Lauren Morone, W/NP, 301-763-8000, ext. 7010)

NWS's Aviation Weather Center (AWC) Issues New Product. The AWC has released a new forecast product to help pilots avoid areas of potential icing. On January 13, 2004, AWC adopted the Forecast Icing Product (FIP) as an official product to be used by meteorologists and flight dispatchers. The FIP is the most recent development for improving in-flight safety created by the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) Aviation Weather Research Program (AWRP) In-Flight Product Development Team. Approved by the joint NWS-FAA Aviation Weather Technology Transfer board, the FIP is an automatically-generated prediction of aircraft icing potential. AWC forecasters use the FIP to improve the quality of operational icing advisories of moderate and heavy icing. Airline dispatchers use FIP to estimate the likelihood that ice will develop on an aircraft at particular points along a potential flight path to advise pilots of safer, alternative routes. Three hour forecasts are produced each hour and 12 hour forecasts, every third hour. This new products supports NOAA's goal to serve society's need for weather and water information. (Contact: Lauren Morone, W/NP, 301-763-8000, ext.7010)

NWS's National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) Participates in National Virtual Ocean Data System Workshop. Staff from the NDBC attended the National Virtual Ocean Data System workshop on January 12-14, 2004, to develop a model for aggregating moored buoy data for use by the research community. The workshop, hosted by NOAA's Coastal Services Center in Charleston, SC, drafted a model that combines sequences of data from different sources. (Contact: Steve Collins, W/OPS51, 228-688-2822)

NWS and the Office of Global Programs Joint RANET Project Helps South Pacific Island Community During Disaster. A coordinated effort to establish RANET (Information Technology for Rural Communications using Radio and the Internet) in the Pacific, first initiated in July 2003 at a Honolulu Communications/Disseminations Conference, has shown results. The center of Tropical Cyclone Heta, a Category 5 hurricane, passed over the tiny South Pacific Island of Niue on January 5, 2004, with damaging winds exceeding 150 mph. Radio receivers donated by the RANET program remained on the air throughout the entire storm when all other communications failed. (Contact: Jeffrey LaDouce, W/PR, 808-532-6416)

II. AGENCY WORK ON PRESIDENTIAL INITIATIVES

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III. NOTABLE CONGRESSIONAL ACTIVITY

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IV. SCHEDULE

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V. MEDIA COVERAGE

Reported by NOAA PA

** Italics indicate information not forwarded to NOAA