Hazard Services winter capabilities transitioned to NWS weather forecast offices

In August, a limited number of NWS Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) will test and evaluate Hazard Services Winter Weather Watch/Warning/Advisory (WWA) capabilities. This will be possible through a special version of the software that GSL’s Evaluation and Decision Support Division has built and will make available to certain WFO’s. This will enable these WFOs to more thoroughly test and evaluate the application in real-time forecast operations.

Initially, the testing will be done in “practice mode” which allows forecasters to go through the motions of issuing WWAs without transmitting these products outside of the WFO. The workflows and products can be carefully examined for accuracy, efficiency, and overall readiness. Once the WFOs are confident the software is sound and ready for full-scale operations, those WFOs will then issue Winter Weather WWAs using Hazard Services in an official capacity during the upcoming winter, with products being transmitted to the public, media, emergency managers, and all NWS partners. This careful approach ensures a safe rollout of the capabilities through comprehensive testing and builds confidence that this critical application will be ready for nation-wide deployment to be completed in time for the winter of 2021-22.

Hazard Services has already been deployed to the majority of NWS WFOs for operational issuance of hydrology-related WWAs for flooding events.