National Weather Service Raw Text Product

834 
NOUS44 KTSA 072258
PNSTSA

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
458 PM CST FRI DEC 7 2012

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-080100-
BENTON-CARROLL-WASHINGTON AR-MADISON-CRAWFORD-FRANKLIN-SEBASTIAN-
PUSHMATAHA-CHOCTAW-OSAGE-WASHINGTON OK-NOWATA-CRAIG-OTTAWA-PAWNEE-
TULSA-ROGERS-MAYES-DELAWARE-CREEK-OKFUSKEE-OKMULGEE-WAGONER-
CHEROKEE-ADAIR-MUSKOGEE-MCINTOSH-SEQUOYAH-PITTSBURG-HASKELL-
LATIMER-LE FLORE-
458 PM CST FRI DEC 7 2012

TO:      SUBSCRIBERS:
         -FAMILY OF SERVICES
         -NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE
         -EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK
         -NOAAPORT
         OTHER NWS PARTNERS AND NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM:    STEVE PILTZ
         METEOROLOGIST-IN-CHARGE
         NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK

SUBJECT: SOLICITING COMMENTS UNTIL MARCH 15 2013 ON AN
         EXPERIMENTAL SCALED PREDICTIVE ICE STORM AFTERMATH 
         (SPIA) INDEX

THE NWS IS ACCEPTING COMMENTS THROUGH MARCH 15 2013 ON AN
EXPERIMENTAL SCALED PREDICTIVE ICE STORM AFTERMATH (SPIA) INDEX. 

(LOWER CASE)
HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/SURVEY/NWS-SURVEY.PHP?CODE=SPISA

SELECT NWS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES (WFOS) (TABLE 1) WILL PRODUCE
WEB GRAPHICS DEPICTING THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF FREEZING RAIN AND
WIND ON EXPOSED ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS TO ENHANCE THEIR DECISION
SUPPORT SERVICES.

CURRENT NWS ICE STORM WARNINGS ARE ISSUED BASED ON FORECAST ICE
ACCUMULATION ONLY...TYPICALLY ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH OR GREATER. THE
COMBINED EFFECT OF ICE AND WIND...WHICH MORE REALISTICALLY
DESCRIBES DAMAGE POTENTIAL...IS NOT FORMALLY SET AS WARNING CRITERIA.

BY USING THE SPIA INDEX...THE NWS SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A
BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF ICE STORM IMPACT POTENTIAL TO LOCAL...STATE...
AND FEDERAL RESPONSE ENTITIES. THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS ARE SCALED
FROM 0 TO 5 AND SUGGEST POTENTIAL ELECTRICAL OUTAGE COVERAGE AND
DURATION.

UNTIL NOW...THE NWS HAS NOT ATTEMPTED TO ROUTINELY QUANTIFY THE
IMPACT OF ICE STORMS. THE USE OF THIS SCALED INDEX WILL ALLOW THE
NWS TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL OF PROVIDING THESE SPECIFICS. FOR
EXAMPLE...A LEVEL 5 ICE STORM WOULD BE DEFINED AS ONE CAUSING
CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO ENTIRE EXPOSED UTILITY SYSTEMS...INCLUDING
BOTH DISTRIBUTION AND TRANSMISSION NETWORKS. OUTAGES COULD LAST
SEVERAL WEEKS IN SOME LOCATIONS.

GRAPHICS SHOWING FORECAST INDEX VALUES WILL BE AVAILABLE AS PART
OF THE ROUTINE FORECAST PROVIDED ONLINE FOR THE FOLLOWING WFOS...

TABLE 1...   PARTICIPATING WFOS AND URLS (ALL LOWER CASE)

WFO TULSA (TSA)
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TSA/?N=BADICE

WFO SPRINGFIELD (SGF)
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/SGF/?N=ICE_IMPACT_INDEX

WFO PLEASANT HILL (EAX)
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/EAX/?N=ICE_IMPACT_INDEX

WFO ST. LOUIS (LSX)
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/LSX/?N=ICE_IMPACT_INDEX

WFO PADUCAH (PAH)
HTTP://WWW.CRH.NOAA.GOV/PAH/?N=ICE_IMPACT_INDEX

MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE SPIA INDEX IS ONLINE IN A PRODUCT
DESCRIPTION DOCUMENT... 

(LOWER CASE)
HTTP://PRODUCTS.WEATHER.GOV/PDD/SPIA_PDD.PDF

DURING THIS COMMENT PERIOD...A PROACTIVE EFFORT WILL BE MADE TO
EDUCATE USERS AND PARTNERS OF THE PRODUCT AVAILIBILITY AND USE. AT
THE END OF THE COMMENT PERIOD...THE NWS WILL MAKE A DECISION ON
WHETHER TO TRANSITION THE EXPERIMENTAL SPIA INDEX TO OPERATIONAL
STATUS. THE EXPERIMENTAL SPIA INDEX MAY ALSO BE CONSIDERED FOR USE
AT OTHER WFOS AND NWS REGIONS.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT...

STEVEN PILTZ 
METEOROLOGIST-IN-CHARGE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
TULSA, OK  74128 
918-838-7838 
STEVEN.PILTZ@NOAA.GOV

$$