Proposed Improvements To The Nhc Public Advisory

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Customer feedback suggests that there is a need for a more user-friendly format to the NHC Public Advisory. Users have expressed difficulty in finding pertinent warning, storm and impact information in the public advisory, especially when there is a significant amount of information to convey. The need for a format that separates certain sections of the advisory is most evident when a tropical storm or hurricane is close to making landfall.

NHC proposes changes to the basic format of the public advisory, including changes to the storm information summary, adding section headers, and providing more structure to the watches and warnings section.

Example 1 in current format

BULLETIN

HURRICANE KATRINA ADVISORY NUMBER 10

NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL

11 PM EDT THU AUG 25 2005

...EYE OF KATRINA MOVING SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY...

A HURRICANE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA

COAST FROM JUPITER INLET SOUTHWARD TO FLORIDA CITY...INCLUDING LAKE

OKEECHOBEE. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE

BEEN COMPLETED.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL THE FLORIDA KEYS AND

FLORIDA BAY FROM KEY WEST NORTHWARD...AND ALONG THE GULF COAST OF

FLORIDA FROM LONGBOAT KEY SOUTH AND EASTWARD TO SOUTH OF FLORIDA

CITY.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS THE FLORIDA

WEST COAST FROM NORTH OF LONGBOAT KEY TO ANCLOTE KEY. A TROPICAL

STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE

WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

AT 11 PM EDT...0300Z...THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND TROPICAL STORM

WATCH ALONG THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA NORTH OF JUPITER HAVE BEEN

DISCONTINUED.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE

INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED

BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 11 PM EDT...0300Z...THE EYE OF HURRICANE KATRINA WAS LOCATED NEAR

LATITUDE 25.5 NORTH...LONGITUDE 80.7 WEST OR ABOUT 35 MILES...

SOUTHWEST OF MIAMI FLORIDA OR 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE CITY OF

HOMESTEAD.

KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH AND THIS MOTION IS

EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. KATRINA IS

EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO FRIDAY MORNING.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. KATRINA

IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON SCALE. SOME

ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS ANTICIPATED WHILE KATRINA IS OVER LAND.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 10 MILES FROM THE

CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP

TO 70 MILES. EARLIER THIS EVENING A WIND GUST TO 87 MPH WAS RECORDED

AT MIAMI NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE/NATIONAL

HURRICANE CENTER AND 81 MPH AT THE TAMIAMI AIRPORT.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 984 MB...29.06 INCHES.

STORM SURGE FLOODING OF 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...

CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA IN AREAS OF ONSHORE

FLOW SOUTH OF VENICE AND IN FLORIDA BAY. STORM SURGE SHOULD BEGIN

TO DECREASE ALONG THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA.

KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT HEAVY RAINFALL EVENT

OVER SOUTH FLORIDA...AND THE FLORIDA KEYS. TOTAL RAINFALL

ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 15

TO 20 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE.

ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN FLORIDA AND

THE FLORIDA KEYS.

REPEATING THE 11 PM EDT POSITION...25.5 N... 80.7 W. MOVEMENT

TOWARD...SOUTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 75 MPH.

MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE... 984 MB.

INTERMEDIATE ADVISORIES WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE

CENTER AT 1 AM EDT AND 3 AM EDT FOLLOWED BY THE NEXT COMPLETE

ADVISORY AT 5 AM EDT.

FORECASTER AVILA

Example 1 in proposed format

BULLETIN

HURRICANE KATRINA ADVISORY NUMBER 10

NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL

11 PM EDT THU AUG 25 2005

...EYE OF KATRINA MOVING SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS MIAMI-DADE COUNTY...

SUMMARY OF 1100 AM AST INFORMATION

----------------------------------

LOCATION...25.5N 80.7W

ABOUT 35 MILES...55 KM SW OF MIAMI FLORIDA

ABOUT 20 MILES...30 KM NW OF HOMESTEAD FLORIDA

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...75 MPH...120 KM/HR

PRESENT MOVEMENT...WEST-SOUTHWEST OR 265 DEGREES AT 8 MPH...13 KM/HR

MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...984 MB...29.06 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS

--------------------

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY...

-THE TROPICAL STORM WARNING AND TROPICAL STORM WATCH ALONG THE EAST

COAST OF FLORIDA NORTH OF JUPITER HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED.

SUMMARY OF WARNINGS AND WATCHES IN EFFECT...

A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...

-THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST FROM JUPITER INLET SOUTHWARD TO

FLORIDA CITY...INCLUDING LAKE OKEECHOBEE. PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT

LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR...

-ALL THE FLORIDA KEYS AND FLORIDA BAY FROM KEY WEST NORTHWARD

-THE GULF COAST OF FLORIDA FROM LONGBOAT KEY SOUTH AND EASTWARD

TO SOUTH OF FLORIDA CITY.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR...

-THE FLORIDA WEST COAST FROM NORTH OF LONGBOAT KEY TO ANCLOTE KEY.

A HURRICANE WARNING MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED

WITHIN THE WARNING AREA.GENERALLY WITHIN 24 HOURS.

A TROPICAL STORM WATCH MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE

POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA...GENERALLY WITHIN 36 HOURS.

INTERESTS ELSEWHERE ALONG THE GULF COAST OF THE UNITED STATES SHOULD

MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF KATRINA.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE

INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED

BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK

------------------------------

KATRINA IS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH...13 KM/HR AND THIS

MOTION IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS. KATRINA

IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 75 MPH...130 KM/HR WITH HIGHER

GUSTS. KATRINA IS A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON

SCALE. SOME ADDITIONAL WEAKENING IS ANTICIPATED WHILE KATRINA IS OVER

LAND...AND IT COULD WEAKEN TO A TROPICAL STORM EARLY ON FRIDAY.

RESTRENGTHENING IS EXPECTED ON FRIDAY OR SATURDAY...AND KATRINA COULD

BECOME A DANGEROUS HURRICANE IN THE GULF OF MEXICO IN 2 TO 3 DAYS.

HURRICANE FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 10 MILES FROM THE

CENTER...AND TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP

TO 70 MILES.

A WIND GUST TO 87 MPH...140 KM/HR WAS RECORDED AT MIAMI NATIONAL

WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AND 81

MPH...131 KM/HR AT THE TAMIAMI AIRPORT THIS EVENING.

THE MINIMUM PRESSURE WAS DETERMINED FROM AIR FORCE HURRICANE HUNTER

AIRCRAFT.

STORM HAZARDS

-------------

STORM SURGE FLOODING...2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS...

CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG THE WEST COAST OF FLORIDA IN AREAS OF ONSHORE

FLOW SOUTH OF VENICE AND IN FLORIDA BAY. STORM SURGE SHOULD BEGIN TO

DECREASE ALONG THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA.

RAINFALL...KATRINA IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT HEAVY

RAINFALL EVENT OVER SOUTH FLORIDA...AND THE FLORIDA KEYS. TOTAL

RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES WITH ISOLATED MAXIMUM

AMOUNTS OF 15 TO 20 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE.

TORNADOES...ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVER EASTERN

FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA KEYS.

NEXT ADVISORY...ISSUED BY NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER

---------------------------------------------------

NEXT INTERMEDIATE ADVISORIES...100 AM AND 300 AM EDT.

NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY...500 AM EDT.

$$

FORECASTER AVILA

More here

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/feedback_tcp.shtml

[Somerset Squall]

Yup, I think the new version is an improved one, definitely makes sense to divide the different hazards up whilst giving a brief layman terms forecast for the next few days.

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yup defiantly is in my books as well