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NWS Climate ServicesNWS Climate Services

Barbara MayesMeteorologist / Customer LiaisonNWS Climate Services Division

Silver Spring, MD

September 22, 2004Illinois State Water Survey

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NWS Climate ServicesOverview

• NWS Climate Services Overview– Definition and Vision– Climate Services Division (CSD) Info– NWS Regional and Local Climate Services Goals

• NWS Climate Services Activities– Outreach– Regional and Local Climate Services Implementation– Training– Other Projects

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NWS Climate ServicesDefinition and Vision

• Real-time monitoring

• Forecasting products and services

• Models and technology, model output

• Observations

• Customer education, assistance, and outreach

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NWS Climate Services Vision

• Real-time monitoring of climate variability (including drought conditions) over the United States down to the county level

• New forecast products– Linking weather and climate on intraseasonal

time scales– Downscaled to local levels– Reflecting new insight into drought and warm

season precipitation – Extending beyond a year to a decade or more

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NWS Climate ServicesVision

• User-friendly provider to the private sector of NWS climate models, climate forecast model output, climate guidance products, and know-how

• Sustained capability to ensure the accuracy and continuity of the U.S. historical record

• Fully-mobilized regional and field offices for– Customer outreach– Downscaling climate forecasts– Product and information dissemination– Integration and quality control of surface observations

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NWS Climate ServicesNOAA Climate Services Team

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NWS Climate ServicesCSD Mission

Provide vision, direction, and resources to ensure NWS climate

services are easily

accessible, well understood, optimally used, and reflect customer

needs

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NWS Climate ServicesCSD Roles

• Produce guidelines and directives

• Ensure availability of training

• Coordinate requirements

• Facilitate partnerships

• Ensure adequate resources

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NWS Climate ServicesCSD Personnel

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NWS Climate ServicesRegional/Local Goals

• Goal 1: Organize and equip the regional and local offices with guidelines and tools to enhance climate services.

• Goal 2: Provide reliable, timely, accurate, and secure observations and metadata for the climate record.

• Goal 3: Enhance and extend CPC’s product suite to increase the use and effectiveness of regional and local climate information.

• Goal 4: Conduct outreach to regional and local decision-makers and users of climate services products.

• Goal 5: Establish strong partnerships with the climate community to facilitate collaborations in the delivery of regional and local climate services.

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NWS Climate ServicesRegional Climate Services Partners

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NWS Climate Services OutreachPast Events (2001-03)

Date Title LocationFeb. 21, 2001 Excessive Heat Hazard Workshop Silver Spring,

MD

Oct. 2-3, 2001 Workshop for Weather Risk Management Industry and NOAA: Climate Data and Forecast Needs

Bethesda, MD

Apr. 3, 2002 Drought Outlook Product Evaluation Workshop Kansas City, MO

Sep. 18, 2002 COOP Modernization Partners' Forum Washington, D.C.

Oct. 28-30, 2002

Climate Prediction Assessments Workshop Alexandria, VA

Dec. 2, 2002 El Niño Definition Workshop Silver Spring, MD

Aug. 11, 2003 Climate Prediction Terminology Workshop Seattle, WA

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NWS Climate Services OutreachPast Events (2004)

Date Title Location

March 9-11, 2004

Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop

Tallahassee, FL

June 2, 2004

NOAA Snowfall Network Observations Workshop (SNOW)

Kansas City, MO

June 3-4, 2004

NOAA Data Users’ Forum: Surface Weather & Climate Observations & Data

Kansas City, MO

August 10, 2004

Climate Prediction Workshop Ithaca, NY

December 2, 2004

NCEP Climate Guidance Products Users’ Workshop

Camp Springs, MD

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NWS Climate Services OutreachUpcoming Events (2005)

Date Title Location

March 15-17, 2005

Third Climate Prediction Applications Science Workshop

Palisades, NY

TBD 2005 Meeting on Graphical Presentation of CPC Products

TBD

TBD 2005 Targeted Workshop on NWS Climate Product

TBD

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NWS Climate Services OutreachActivities

• Media Toolkit– Enhance cooperation between NWS and media to

facilitate customer outreach efforts– Target audience: Field offices, media, partners (state

climatologists), public– Content

• Links and guidance for data access• Contacts for climate within NWS• Links to NWS climate training• Outreach materials (i.e. pdf brochure files)• Announcements for upcoming outreach activities and releases• Links to research or prominent articles

– Completed December 2004

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NWS Climate Services OutreachUpcoming Activities

• Brochures and Booths– Developing brochures for distribution to

general public:• NWS climate prediction products

• Sources of climate data

• General climate information

• Drought

– Developing displays for NWS Climate to use at conferences, workshops, etc.

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NWS Climate Services OutreachCustomer Satisfaction Index Survey

• Solicited customer opinion of NWS products

• Compared CSI rating to other government agencies and other service areas of NWS

• Surveyed in October-November 2004

• Results available in January 2005

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NWS Climate ServicesRegional/Local Implementation

• FY05– Contractors available for the regions – product

specialist, web design specialist, outreach specialist– Downscaling becomes operational *– Compositing begins in field offices *– NOAA Climate Transition Program (NCTP) begins *

• FY06 and beyond– Maintain FY05 services– Continue downscaling and compositing development

* Contingent on funding

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NWS Climate ServicesTraining

• One offering of Climate Variability residence course

• Two offerings of new Climate Ops course

• Continued development of Climate Professional Competency Units (PCUs): www.nws.noaa.gov/om/csd/pds/index.html

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NWS Climate ServicesSupported Projects

• Developing statistical downscaling of CPC outlooks.

• Defining new homogeneous Climate Divisions for the United States (NOAA/OAR/CDC/CIRES).

• Implementing web tool for interpretation of probabilistic forecasts.

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NWS Climate ServicesNOAA Climate Transition Program

• Distributes funds via open competitive grant • Ensures the sustained delivery of user-driven

climate research products to operations • Emphasizes partnership between research and

operational agencies• Supports products with strong stakeholder

requirement• Initial awards to be granted in Fiscal Year 2005;

program will expand in FY 2007 and beyond.• Contact: Fiona Horsfall

(Fiona.Horsfall@noaa.gov)

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NWS Climate ServicesKey NOAA Activities

• CSD Chief and CPC Director sit on NOAA Climate Office (NCO) Board

• Matrix link to other LOs directly and through NCO• Lead development of infrastructure for regional climate

services.– Lead Climate Program Element 5: Regional Decision

Support– Develop organizational models (with OAR/OGP and CDC)

• Develop and champion NWS climate budget initiatives:– Intraseasonal to Interannual Prediction Research and

Development– Regional and Local Climate Services– Overlapping Flights for Radiosonde Replacement Program