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SNOWFALL REQUIREMENTS, DATA AND TRANSITION

SNOWFALL REQUIREMENTS, DATA AND TRANSITION. (OR…WHAT’S UP WITH SNOW) Eastern Region Climate Workshop 09/16/03 Alan E. Dunham DAPM, NWS Forecast Office Taunton, MA. The Way It Was the golden years. WFOs and WSOs took manual obs

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SNOWFALL REQUIREMENTS, DATA AND TRANSITION

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  1. SNOWFALL REQUIREMENTS, DATA AND TRANSITION (OR…WHAT’S UP WITH SNOW) Eastern Region Climate Workshop 09/16/03 Alan E. Dunham DAPM, NWS Forecast Office Taunton, MA

  2. The Way It Wasthe golden years • WFOs and WSOs took manual obs • Snowfall and Snow Depth was recorded every 6 hours and at midnight LST • Local Climatological Data was maintained • All Was Well With the World

  3. What Went Not So Correct • Restructuring Resulted in WSOs Closing • ASOS Took Over Observing • FAA Personnel and/or Contractors Took Over ASOS Backup/Augmentation • 6 Hourly Measurements of Snowfall not a Requirement for them • Snowfall Data began disappearing form LCD sites

  4. We Will Take a Brief Pause for These Few Words From the Presenter

  5. Terms and Practices as They Stand Today • Snow Depth…the snow that is on the ground. Measured by sticking a ruler (or yardstick) through the top of the snow to the ground. • Snowfall…The amount of snow which has fallen since snow began to fall and/or snow that has fallen since the previous snowfall measurement. Measurement taken from a SNOWBOARD • Snowboard…That on which snowfall is measured. The snowboard shall be cleared no more frequently than every 6 hours

  6. We Now Return to the Original Presentation

  7. Where Are We Near TermLast Year and Going into this Snowfall Season • Last Year…A lot of Dedicated CWOs gave NWS Snowfall Data • These CWOs not allowed to provide the data this year • Team Established to Find Answer/Answers

  8. Options the Snowfall Team Considered • Take no action…things continue to get worse • COOP/Spotter Observers at/near LCD sites…these would be volunteers so hard to require 6 hourly and midnight obs • Give the FAA Funds for the CWOs to take snowfall data…only would be at service level A and B sites leaving 124 C and D sites

  9. Options considered by Snowfall Team Continued • Eliminate Airport LCD Snowfall Observation entirely…Airports really bad for measuring snow but would expect tremendous objections from media and climate community • Totally Automate LCD Snowfall Observations…technology to meet our needs probably at least 5 years away

  10. And the Winner Was...

  11. “Snow Paid” NWS Contract Staff at LCD sites • PRO...Gives the NWS direct control of how the Snowfall observations are taken, where they are taken from, water equivalent of snowfall will be included in the contract…standards met and maintained • CON…Recurring cost around 3/4 of a million, will be hard to recruit at some airports

  12. The GREAT Unknown of the Plan??????Will NWS Headquarters adopt it

  13. Whatever Course is ChosenOutreach/education of our customers and partners(media and climate) must be a top priority

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