| Local forecast by "City, St" |
|
| About NWS | |
| -Mission | |
| -Strategic Plan | |
| -History | |
| Media Contacts | |
| -NWS Media Contacts | |
| -NOAA Media Contacts | |
| -Legislative Affairs | |
| Media Tools | |
| -Archived News Releases | |
| -Backgrounders | |
| -Bios | -Photos Online | -Weather Footage |
| -Legislative News | |
| -FAQs | |
| Jetstream | |
| -Weather School | |
| Publications | |
| Contact Us |
| Frequently Asked Questions |
Q1. Where can I find current and historical weather data?
Q1. Where can I find current and historical weather data? A. One central web site you should check for current weather and data products at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/data.html You can get current forecasts and other weather information through the NWS Interactive Weather Information Network at: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/main.html All of the weather data gathered by the U.S. can be found through NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, NC. They have a home page at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov, or you can call them at 828-271-4800. You may also want to contact your state climatologist. For a state-by-state list of these offices, go to http://www.ucar.edu and find Meteorology FAQ part 7/7 Q2. I am a teacher - what weather related educational materials are available on the Internet? A. You can find some education materials on the NOAA Public Affairs Home Page -- http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov The page has a link to the gopher site below, which is reached by selecting "Answers from NOAA" in the NOAA PA Home Page. The address below is where you can browse our collection of educational resources. Due to downsizing and budget cuts, the NOAA educational affairs section was eliminated a couple of years ago, so the information here may be somewhat dated. other weather education sites include: The NOAA library is another source you may want to check: http://www.lib.noaa.gov Q3. How do meteorologists calculate wind chill? A. Wind Chill is calculated by the National Weather Service using a formula that includes windspeed and temperature. The equations are: T(wc) = 0.0817(3.71V**0.5 + 5.81 -0.25V)(T-91.4) + 91.4 T(wc) is the wind chill, V is the wind speed in statute miles per hour and T is the temperature in degrees fahrenheit. The formula for windchill, using the Celsius scale is: T(wc) = 0.045(5.27V**0.5 + 10.45 - 0.28V)(T - 33) + 33 Again, T(wc) is the wind chill, V is the wind speed in Kilometers per hour, and T is Degrees Celsius. In both formulas, **' means the following term is an exponent. A. Heating and cooling degree days are calculated by using the average temperature for the day, the high + low, and subtracting the average or mean temperature from the number 65 for heating degree days or subtracting 65 from the average for cooling degree days. The number 65 is used as the base number because most buildings and homes would be most comfortable and energy efficient at our around 65 degrees. Example: On a summer day the high was 90 and the low 70. The average is 80. 80 (average) - 65 (base) = 15 cooling degree days. It reflects how much power people should be using on the average to cool, in this case their homes/businesses. Take those daily cooling degree days and you can have daily/monthly or annual averages. Example: On a winter day the high was 40 and the low was 0. 65 (base) - 20 (average) = 45 heating degree days. This information is available via a NWS Web page with a URL of: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/er/iln/defin.htm Q5. What employment opportunities are available with the National Weather Service, and what would be the best kind of college courses to take for these jobs? A5. Most occupations with the National Weather Service are either for people trained in meteorology, atmospheric sciences, climatology, hydrology or related fields. Jobs available with the NWS are updated periodically on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration home page at: http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/~hrmo/ For more specifics on careers in meteorology and recommended college course work, check out the American Meteorological Society's web site at: http://atm.geo.nsf.gov/AMS/ The National Weather Association web site also lists information on careers in meteorology: http://www.nwas.org.html Finally, you may want to check out two USENET newsgroups. They can be found by using a browser and for the URL typing For career information on the Internet, the AMS and NWA home pages are good sources that come to mind immediately, in addition to the NWS home page The AMS has a pamphlet on their page that gives extensive career info at: http://atm.geo.nsf.gov/AMS/pubs/careers.html NOAA's Library has a web site at: http://www.lib.noaa.gov/ Q6. How can I "tune-in" NOAA Weather Radio? How can I find out what frequency the station in my area is broadcasting at? A6. You can find the location and frequency of your nearest NOAA Weather Radio transmitter by using the index located on the NWS Home Page at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrbro.htm#nwrstations Q7. Is there an archive, history, whatever for exact location (latitude and longitude) of tornados that have been cited, reported, measured? A7. Tornado Climatology is a meteorological phenomena that has fascinated scientists for a long time. Currently, there is statistical information available on the internet at: http://mrd3.mmm.ucar.edu/~dob/www/clim_tor.html The NWS Storm Prediction Center tornado data archive contains latitude/longitude information for tornado segments (tornadoes crossing county lines are broken into one segment per county), for the years 1950-1995, by state or territory. This information can be accessed on the internet at: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/archive Q8. Is there somewhere I can purchase Weather Equipment to make my own weather observations? A8. Weather Equipment is available through several magazines (Weatherwise 800-365-9753, Amateur Weather Observer -- e-mail awowx@aol.com). A catalog (Wind & Weather 800-922-9463) carries weather equipment, and there are probably others. Q9. Is there any way to find out which Weather Forecasting Office serves my area? A9. To locate the Weather Forecast Office that serves your area, go to: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/regions.shtml Q10. Can I visit my local NWS office? A10. Visiting your local NWS Forecasting Office is something that is not only allowed, but encouraged. Unfortunately, there are times when this might not be possible. As you know, NWS offices are very busy places, especially during severe weather events. However, we understand that many people may want to have access to the offices at those times. The Internet has made it possible for our offices to distribute critical information to a wide audience quickly. Even though no office can permit unlimited access to their facility, especially during severe weather events, because of the high potential for disruptions to their operations. Many offices do arrange for people to visit their offices or to observe severe weather operations on a limited basis. It would be necessary for you to clear any visits you wish to make with the warning coordination meteorologists (WCM) or meteorologists in charge (MIC) of the specific offices that interest you. The NWS is usually able to accommodate an individual's request to see the office, but would like to set this set up in advance as much as possible. We can often accommodate unannounced "walk-ins", but they are at the visitor's "own risk". The NWS does not schedule formal tours from March 15 through June 15th because of severe weather demands. Q11. What is Skywarn and is there an internet site where I can get information about Skywarn and the services offered? A11. Skywarn is the National Weather Service (NWS) program of trained volunteer severe weather spotters. Skywarn Spotters support their local community and government by providing the NWS and there local emergency managers with timely and accurate severe weather reports. These reports, when integrated with modern NWS technology, are used to inform communities of the proper actions to take as severe weather threatens. Metro Skywarn Homepage: http://www.skywarn.ampr.org Q12. Where can I find out about NOAA and the NWS's latest programs and accomplishments? A12. You can find all NOAA News Releases at the following location: http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov The NWS Public Affairs home page has most of the National Weather Service releases sorted by keyword or topic, as well as by date. These can be located at: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/pa/ Q13. Are there any sites on the internet that provide information on natural disasters? Q14. Is there a UV Index on the internet? A14. The Ultraviolet Index is available at a couple of different sites. These are: Q15. What is a good location to find Television Weather information? A15. Television Weather sites exist on the internet in many locations. One of the really comprehensive sites available on the internet now is the TVWeather site. It includes timely updates, graphics, and even real-time satellite images. The address to this site is: http://www.tvweather.com/ Q16. What are the activities of the Space Meteorological Group do? A16. The Space Meteorological Group is a critical member of the Flight Control Team in Mission Control at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. SMG provides detailed weather forecasts for Space Shuttle landing sites in Florida, California, New Mexico, Spain, and Africa. They have a web site at: http://www.tvweather.com/ A17. An official definition for 'white-out' does not exist. It is a colloquial term that can describe any condition during snowfall that severely restricts visibility. That may mean a blizzard, or snowsquall, etc. If you get some sunlight in the mix, that makes the situation even worse - it's like driving in fog with your headlights on high-beam. The light gets backscattered right into your face and you can't see. Q18. Where can I ask questions about meteorology? Is there a newsgroup I could post messages to? A18. The WX-TALK list resides on the POSTOFFICE.CSO.UIUC.EDU machine at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. It was created for persons interested in weather and is intended for discussions and questions related to subjects such as, forecasting, Doppler radar, public warning issuance, home satellite reception, TV weather, and weather observation. You subscribe to WX-TALK by sending e-mail to LISTSERV@PO.UIUC.EDU that includes a SUB command followed by the list name (in this case WX-TALK) and your first and last name. Unless you want to receive individual postings, which can quickly fill up your mailbox, you want to include the word Digest in your message, so you get a daily compilation of WX-TALK messages. For example: SUB WX-TALK DIGEST John Q. Public Q19. What are Automatic Reporting Weather Stations, and where can I find information about them? A19. The automatic reporting weather stations are part of the Utah mesonetwork. Q20. What is a "cotton region shelter" and are there NWS specifications and associated drawings for this item? A20. The "Cotton Region Shelter" (it might be better known as an instrument shelter) is a wooden shelter built to stand approximately four feet above the ground and constructed with slats to allow for airflow but to protect instruments from precipitation. It normally housed thermometers (wet and dry bulb, max and min) and assorted other types of meteorological instruments. The shelter protected sensors and other instruments against errors and damage due to solar radiation, wind, and precipitation. It comes in several different models, stand along (large, small), and wall mounts. Size: 30"W x 20"D x 32"H (762 x 508 x 813)mm Metal legs: 60"L (1.5m) Weight/shipping: Here are three sources from which to order: 1. Scientific Sales, Inc. 2. Sierra-Misco, Inc 3. They have been advertised in the Wind and Weather catalogue - 800-922-9463. Q21. Where can I find information about EMWIN? Is there any online information about the EMWIN system? A21. EMWIN, the Emergency Managers Weather Information Network, is now evolving into a fully operational and supported NWS service, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other public and private organizations. EMWIN is a suite of methods of making available a live datastream of basic weather data, and providing access to stored sets of basic un-enhanced data, using a variety of techniques and technologies. Each method has advantages and disadvantages over the others, hence this multilayered approach to enable multiple methods of availability. Q22. I have been unable to locate any weather radio receiver manufacturer or dealer which uses the Weather Radio Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) system in its products. Could you tell me of any manufacturers of such systems? A22. The NWR SAME technology is currently available in only one brand of consumer grade NOAA Weather Radio receiver -- it is available from Radio Shack. More companies will likely begin selling SAME-capable receivers in 1998. There are several manufacturers of commercial grade NWR SAME decoders (price range is approximately $450 - $500). INH Technologies, 2921 Lackland Road (Suite 202), Fort Worth, Texas, 761116 (POC - Neil Hartman (817)595-3050) is probably the best source. The other manufacturers specialize in broadcast equipment and decoders. Disclaimer: mention of a specific product or manufacturer does not constitute endorsement by NOAA/NWS nor is any list presented claimed to be complete. Q23. I sometimes see non-governmental organizations use National Weather Service text forecasts verbatim but never mention the source of the data -- some put their own copyright on the material. Is it permissible to do this? A23. The National Weather Service encourages all dissemination sources to provide attribution for NWS forecasts and warnings. The only companies REQUIRED to provide this attribution are ones that connect DIRECTLY to the NWS Family of Services and pay a fee for this service. No one can claim copyright on government material if that material is delivered/broadcast/disseminated just as it was transmitted from the government. If a company adds value (graphics etc.) or creates a unique display, then the resultant product may in some cases be copyrightable. This must be determined on a case-by-case basis through application of U.S. copyright law. |
Home | Mission | Strategic Plan | NWS Media Contacts | NOAA Media Contacts |
| US Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Weather Service 1325 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD 20910 Web Master's E-mail:W-CIO.Webmaster@noaa.gov |
Disclaimer | Privacy Policy |