Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors--
Here are a few opportunities to provide feedback to the NWS, take note of WRN events coming up, and products/services you may not be fully aware of.
(1) Invitation for feedback on the NWS weather.gov website
The NWS remains committed to providing the most accurate, accessible, and reliable weather, water, and climate information we can. Our website has long served as a place where we have intended to provide relevant content to help you make critical decisions. We recognize the need to improve the NWS website and we are squarely focused on this challenge of redesigning our websites to ensure improved user experiences, and your input in this process is important to us/
We invite you to participate in this survey to understand your weather-, water-, and climate-related information needs and preferences as it relates to weather websites. Your input will help us as we begin to design and build weather.gov 2.0 in the upcoming months.
The survey will take not more than 10-15 minutes. Your responses will remain anonymous and confidential, and the results will be analyzed by Forrester Research, an independent market research company, and reported to NWS in aggregate form only. Please follow the link to complete the survey by Feb 13, 2023:
https://forrester.co1.
(2) Invitation for feedback on two NWS products
The National Weather Service (NWS) is seeking comment on two different products you may have seen utilized by your local Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs): The Graphical Hazardous Weather Outlook (GHWO) and the Severe Weather Impact Graphics seen posted on social media.
The GHWO graphically displays the risk associated with a wide range of meteorological threats for the next one to 7 days - it is currently available experimentally for 117 WFOs. More information can be found in this Public Information Statement and the slide below. Please provide your feedback on the GHWO through this associated survey.
The Severe Weather Impact Graphics are watch and warning graphics that are automatically tweeted by national or local NWS Twitter accounts when a WFO issues the associated product. The list of warnings and products produced include: Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, Flash Food, Snow Squall, Dust Storm, Extreme Wind (Tropical landfall), Special Marine Warning, and Special Weather Statements. More information can be found in this Public Information Statement and the slide below. Please provide your feedback on the Severe Weather Impact Graphics through this associated survey.
Feedback for both the GHWO and the Severe Weather Impact Graphics is due by April 30th, 2023. Thank you for your help!
(3) Lightning Safety Toolkit Refresh Complete
The Lightning Safety Toolkit program was founded in 2011 to increase lightning safety and preparedness at outdoor venues. These toolkits have been developed with the input and best practices of key stakeholders. Sites that show a commitment to lightning safety by filling out the appropriate toolkit below in concert with your local Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM) will be listed on our website as a lightning safety site. This program is a key component of NOAA's commitment to a Weather Ready Nation. Complete an interactive form (must review and accept Terms of Use) or a fillable Word document to create a draft lightning safety plan for your organization. After you complete your draft plan, email it to your local NWS office for review. After NWS approval, your organization can then be recognized for having a written plan for lightning safety.
(4) Highlight: "Text to Shelter" feature
In 2022, FEMA rolled out an application with an improved Shelter Locator Texting feature (a “Text to Shelter” service). More details are available with FEMA’s 2022 press release. Simply text “shelter” and ZIP code to 43362 to obtain a list of shelter locations within 200 miles. The database of shelters for this service is maintained by the American Red Cross (ARC) and includes both ARC and non-ARC shelters. These shelters are pre-event or post-event messages for long-duration events, such as landfalling hurricanes; widespread areal flooding; or riverine flooding. These shelters are not related to short-term sheltering, such as before an expected tornado outbreak.
(5) Mark Your Calendars!! #SafePlaceSelfie Day is April 5.
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