NOUS41 KWBC 221725 CCA
PNSWSH

PUBLIC INFO. STATEMENT...SERVICE CHANGE NOTICE 02-25 CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HEADQUARTERS WASHINGTON DC
120 PM EDT MON APR 22 2002

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...NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM:     JAMES E. LEE
          CHIEF...FIRE AND PUBLIC WEATHER SERVICES BRANCH

SUBJECT:  CORRECTION - NEW NWS PROBABILISTIC HEAT INDEX PRODUCT
          SUITE...EFFECTIVE MAY 1 2002

 ...CORRECTED AWIPS IDENTIFIERS FOR NEW PRODUCTS...NOTED BELOW...

ON MAY 1 2002...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL BEGIN
DISTRIBUTING A NEW PRODUCT...THE PROBABILISTIC HEAT INDEX.   THE
NEW PRODUCT SUITE WILL INCLUDE A SET OF GRAPHICS DEPICTING THE
PROBABILITY OF THE AVERAGE DAILY HEAT INDEX EXCEEDING SELECTED
THRESHOLDS FOR THE CONTINENTAL U.S.  A COMPANION TEXT PRODUCT
WILL ALSO BE ISSUED WITH THE SAME DATA IN TABULAR FORM.  THE
FORECASTS WILL BE PREPARED AT THE NATIONAL CENTERS FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICTION /NCEP/ BY THE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL
PREDICTION CENTER /HPC/ AND WILL BE ISSUED DAILY AROUND 3 PM EDT. 
THE PRODUCTS WILL COVER THE PERIOD FROM THREE TO SEVEN DAYS
AHEAD.  THESE PRODUCTS WILL REPLACE THREE TO SEVEN DAY AVERAGE
HEAT INDEX PRODUCTS PRODUCED BY NCEP'S CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER
/CPC/.
 
THE NEW PRODUCT SUITE IS INTENDED TO GIVE CUSTOMERS AN EARLY
INDICATION OF ANY SIGNIFICANT HEAT RELATED PROBLEMS.  THE HEAT
INDEX IS CALCULATED BY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT BOTH THE TEMPERATURE
AND THE HUMIDITY AND IS A MORE ACCURATE INDICATOR OF DISCOMFORT
THAN THE TEMPERATURE ALONE.  STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT THE
THRESHOLD FOR DANGER DUE TO HEAT RELATED STRESS IS AN AVERAGE
DAILY HEAT INDEX OF 85 DEGREES OR HIGHER. 

THE HEAT INDEX IS CALCULATED FOR EACH LOCATION BASED ON HPC
FORECASTS.  THEY ARE CONVERTED TO PROBABILISTIC VALUES BY TAKING
INTO ACCOUNT THE AVERAGE ERROR OF THE HPC HEAT INDEX FORECAST AT
A SPECIFIC LOCATION AND FORECAST DAY. 

THE GRAPHICS WILL DISPLAY THE PROBABILISTIC HEAT INDEX FORECAST
FOR DAYS THREE THROUGH SEVEN AND WILL INCLUDE CHARTS FOR THE
85...90...AND 95 DEGREE THRESHOLD.  PROBABILITIES OF 10...40...
70 PERCENT WILL BE CONTOURED ON EACH MAP.  THE TEXT PRODUCT WILL
INCLUDE THE DAILY AVERAGE HEAT INDEX FORECAST VALUE AS WELL AS
THE PROBABILITY OF THE HEAT INDEX EXCEEDING 70/ 75/ 80/ 85/ 90/
95/ 100/ AND 105 DEGREES.

THE FOLLOWING WMO HEADINGS/AWIPS IDS ARE FOR GRAPHICS COVERING
THE CONUS.

     DAY  HI   WMO HEADING    AWIPS ID    
     3    85   PTNK98 KWNH    RBG385         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     3    90   PTNK98 KWNH    RBG390         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     3    95   PTNK98 KWNH    RBG395         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     4    85   PTNM98 KWNH    RBG485         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     4    90   PTNM98 KWNH    RBG490         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     4    95   PTNM98 KWNH    RBG495         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     5    85   PTNO98 KWNH    RBG585         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     5    90   PTNO98 KWNH    RBG590         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     5    95   PTNO98 KWNH    RBG595         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     6    85   PTNQ98 KWNH    RBG685         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     6    90   PTNQ98 KWNH    RBG690         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     6    95   PTNQ98 KWNH    RBG695         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     7    85   PTNS98 KWNH    RBG785         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     7    90   PTNS98 KWNH    RBG790         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     7    95   PTNS98 KWNH    RBG795         < CORRECTED AWIPS ID

THE PROBABILISTIC HEAT INDEX FORECAST TEXT BULLETIN IS SENT IN
TWO PARTS/EAST AND WEST/:

     AREA      WMO HEADING    AWIPS ID    
     EAST      FMUS23 KWNH    PRBEHI    < CORRECTED AWIPS ID
     WEST      FMUS24 KWNH    PRBWHI    < CORRECTED AWIPS ID

IN ADDITION...HPC DISSEMINATES THESE PRODUCTS AND RELATED
INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET.  THE URL ADDRESS AVAILABLE MAY 1 IS 
/USE LOWER CASE/:

          http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heat_index/

THE FOLLOWING 3- TO 7-DAY CPC HEAT FORECASTS WILL BE DISCONTINUED
AND BE REPLACED BY THE REVISED DAY-TO-DAY FORMAT /FOR DAYS 3 TO
7/ FROM THE HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER...BEGINNING 
MAY 1 2002. 

     ...DISCONTINUED...

     AVG. HEAT INDEX     WMO HEADER     AWIPS ID 
     CRITERIA A          PTAM90 KWNC    RBGHI1
     /85F+ FOR 3+DAYS/
     CRITERIA B          PTAM95 KWNC    RBGHI2        
     /90F+ FOR 2+DAYS/  
     CRITERIA C          PTAM00 KWNC    RBGHI3 
     /95F+ FOR 1+DAY/     
     STATION PLOT        PTNK98 KWNC    RBGHX3
     /MAX HEAT INDEX/ 
     ...DISCONTINUED...

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT ANY OF THESE CHANGES...YOU CAN
CONTACT:

     KEVIN MCCARTHY...DEPUTY DIRECTOR
     NCEP HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER
     PHONE:  301-763-8000 X 7304
     EMAIL:  KEVIN.MCCARTHY@NOAA.GOV

          OR 

     DAVID REYNOLDS...CHIEF 
     NCEP/HPC FORECAST OPERATIONS BRANCH
     PHONE:   301-763-8000 X 7317
     EMAIL:  DAVID.REYNOLDS@NOAA.GOV

THIS NOTICE AND OTHER SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE ON THE INTERNET
AT /USE LOWER CASE LETTERS/:  

              www.nws.noaa.gov/om/notif.htm

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