TY - JOUR
T1 - Collaboration among Forecasters to Issue Severe Weather Hazard Information and Warnings Using the Hazard Services–Probabilistic Hazard Information (HS-PHI) Tool
AU - James, Joseph
AU - Ling, Chen
AU - Bates, Alyssa
AU - Stumpf, Gregory J.
AU - Klockow-Mcclain, Kim
AU - Hyland, Pat
AU - Ladue, Jim
AU - Berry, Kodi L.
AU - Manross, Kevin
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Meteorological Society.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - This project tested software capabilities and operational implications related to interoffice collaboration during NWS severe weather warning operations within a proposed paradigm, Forecasting A Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs). Current NWS policy of each forecast office issuing warnings for an exclusive area of responsibility may result in inconsistent messaging. In contrast, the FACETs paradigm, with object-based, moving probabilistic and determin-istic hazard information, could provide seamless information across NWS County Warning Areas (CWAs). An experiment was conducted that allowed NWS forecasters to test new software that incorporates FACETs-based hazard information and potential concepts of operation to improve messaging consistency between adjacent WFOs. Experiment scenarios con-sisted of a variety of storm and office border interactions, fictional events requiring nowcasts, and directives that mimicked differing inter-WFO warning philosophies. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted to gauge forecasters’ confidence and workload levels, and to discuss potential solutions for interoffice collaboration and software issues. We found that forecasters were able to adapt quickly to the new software and concepts and were comfortable with collaborat-ing with their neighboring WFO in warning operations. Although forecasters felt the software’s collaboration tools enabled them to communicate in a timely manner, adding this collaboration increased their workload when compared to their workload during current warning operations.
AB - This project tested software capabilities and operational implications related to interoffice collaboration during NWS severe weather warning operations within a proposed paradigm, Forecasting A Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs). Current NWS policy of each forecast office issuing warnings for an exclusive area of responsibility may result in inconsistent messaging. In contrast, the FACETs paradigm, with object-based, moving probabilistic and determin-istic hazard information, could provide seamless information across NWS County Warning Areas (CWAs). An experiment was conducted that allowed NWS forecasters to test new software that incorporates FACETs-based hazard information and potential concepts of operation to improve messaging consistency between adjacent WFOs. Experiment scenarios con-sisted of a variety of storm and office border interactions, fictional events requiring nowcasts, and directives that mimicked differing inter-WFO warning philosophies. Surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted to gauge forecasters’ confidence and workload levels, and to discuss potential solutions for interoffice collaboration and software issues. We found that forecasters were able to adapt quickly to the new software and concepts and were comfortable with collaborat-ing with their neighboring WFO in warning operations. Although forecasters felt the software’s collaboration tools enabled them to communicate in a timely manner, adding this collaboration increased their workload when compared to their workload during current warning operations.
KW - Forecasting
KW - Forecasting techniques
KW - Numerical weather prediction/forecasting
KW - Operational forecasting
KW - Probabilistic Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting (PQPF)
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85143804187
U2 - 10.1175/WAF-D-21-0120.1
DO - 10.1175/WAF-D-21-0120.1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85143804187
SN - 0882-8156
VL - 37
SP - 2275
EP - 2291
JO - Weather and Forecasting
JF - Weather and Forecasting
IS - 12
ER -