NWS Cold Season VTEC / Wordsmithing changes effective 1 Oct 2024

[akrherz]

SCN here with the details

NOUS41 KWBC 261840 AAB
PNSWSH

Service Change Notice 23-44 Updated
National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD
240 PM EDT Tue Mar 26 2024

To:	  Subscribers:
	  -NOAA Weather Wire Service
	  -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
	  -NOAAPort
	  Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees

From:	  Stephen Bieda III, Chief
	  Severe, Fire, Public and Winter Services Branch

Subject:  Updated: Implementation of Consolidated NWS Public Weather
	  Program Products Related to Cold, Effective on or about
	  October 1, 2024

Updated to announce new implementation date of changes to NWS Public
Weather Program products related to cold, update links, and to
include
impacts to NWS Watch, Warning, Advisory product associated colors.

On or about October 1, 2024, the NWS will implement the following
changes
to Public Program Text Products:
-Consolidate the following text products:
    * Hard Freeze Watch to Freeze Watch
    * Hard Freeze Warning to Freeze Warning
    * Wind Chill Watch and Extreme Cold Watch consolidated with
      Extreme Cold Watch
    * Wind Chill Warning and Extreme Cold Warning consolidated
      with Extreme Cold Warning
-Transition of “Wind Chill Advisory” to “Cold Weather
Advisory.”

Freeze Watch/Warning and Extreme Cold Watch/Warning are contained in
the
Non-Precipitation Weather Message (NPW). For Freeze Warning and
Watch,
there will be the option to use the wording “Hard Freeze” within
the body
of the product (e.g. in the “What” bullet of the text).

The Valid Time Event Code (VTEC) phenomena code “HZ” for Hard
Freeze Watch
and Warning will be decommissioned and the Freeze Watch and Warning
VTEC
phenomena code “FZ” will remain. VTEC enables weather providers
and
vendors to automate and tailor the product stream delivered to their
clients.

The Wind Chill Warning, Watch, and Advisory currently contained
within the
Winter Weather Message (WSW) product will be consolidated into the
Extreme
Cold Warning, Extreme Cold Watch, and Cold Weather Advisory in the
Non-
Precipitation Weather (NPW) product. The VTEC phenomena code “WC”
will be
retired. Extreme Cold Watch and Warning will retain its VTEC of
“EC” and
Cold Weather Advisory will replace Wind Chill Advisory with the VTEC
of
“CW”.

These changes will result in the following changes to NWS Warning,
Watch,
and Advisory map for the aforementioned products:
Product Name		 VTEC	Current Color	 New Color
----------------------------------------------------------------
Extreme Cold Warning	 EC.W	 Blue		 No change
Extreme Cold Watch	 EC.A	 Blue		 Cadetblue
Cold Weather Advisory	 CW.Y	 N/A		 Paleturquoise
Freeze Warning		 FZ.W	 Darkslateblue	 No change
Freeze Watch		 FZ.A	 Cyan		 No change

For more information on all NWS Warning, Watch, Advisory priorities
and
colors please see https://www.weather.gov/help-map

The consolidation and reformatting changes are based on a public
survey
referenced in the notices below:
https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/pdf2/pns21-
67frost_freeze_headlines.pdf
and
https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/pdfs/pns18-11npw_haz_simp.
pdf

The results indicated that a majority of users surveyed favored the
changes as proposed. A listing of the changes, along with examples,
are
contained in the Product Description Document (PDD) for Freeze
products
and Extreme Cold below:
https://nsdesk.servicenowservices.com/api/g_noa/nwspc/res2/a98307191b
f6211
0135feb9ce54bcb75
and
https://nsdesk.servicenowservices.com/api/g_noa/nwspc/res2/2af4d8b51b
f6a11
0b13387bae54bcb94

Presentations and additional information on these upcoming proposed
changes and plans for the NWS Hazard Simplification (Haz Simp)
Project may
be accessed at the Haz Simp Website:
https://www.weather.gov/hazardsimplification

For more information, please email:

[email protected]

National Service Change Notices are online at:

https://www.weather.gov/notification/