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Tracking the storms
National
Weather Service invites public to see behind the scenes
By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com
Most people think of the National
Weather Service as the people behind the scroll on the bottom of their
television screen during severe weather. After that, it is a case of out
of sight, out of mind. However, members of the staff of the National Weather
Service are always there, 24-7, manning the dozens of computers and monitors,
remaining ever-vigilant.
The National Weather Service in Peachtree City held an open house last
Saturday, letting members of the public see how they operate and get the
weather to the citizens when they need it most. Lans Rothfusz, the facility’s
meteorologist in charge, stated that the open house, which is typically
an annual event, is important around this time of year because Georgia
is entering what he considers to be the “second season of severe
weather.”
“Spring is a time when Georgia experiences a lot of severe weather,”
said Rothfusz. “However, between summer and winter, the period between
mid-November and January, another round of severe weather hits. This is
not the time of year to let your guard down.”
While the staff of 50 employees at the National Weather Service in Peachtree
City monitor all of the weather, all the time, they really shine when
severe weather hits. Through the tour during the open house, visitors
got to stop at each station and see how the information is processed and
disseminated to the public.
The first stop on the tour was Operations. This area was highly technology
driven and featured 35 monitors visible from all over. This is where all
of the data collection and forecasting starts.
The Peachtree City branch of the National Weather Service is the largest
of six offices in Georgia. Not only are all six branches linked but all
of the offices in the nation are linked. The information can focus on
an extremely short term forecast for a very small area and can expand
to look at a long term forecast for a large area.
The second stop was where the weather radio broadcast center was located,
which was a few strides away. Reports are sent to the computers and an
entirely computer synthesized voice broadcasts the reports. The entire
system is digitally operated but if a transmitter goes out, certain buttons
can be pushed to make sure the necessary report goes to the required area.
The next stop was the warning area, which is where specific severe weather
warnings are generated. An operator picks an area on a map and the text
of that warning is generated and sent via computer to the weather radio.
The operator can look for specific things to narrow the search and also
links with the local authorities and their information as well as information
from amateur radio operators and volunteers in the field who give a first
hand account of the area that is being affected.
During severe weather, there are typically two amateur radio volunteers
at the branch. One operator will take the information and the other will
get the information out to other areas. There are several types of radios
on hand and one radio can go worldwide. One one occasion, it was even
known to reach the South Pole. Their information is very thorough and
by establishing a network of volunteers in seemingly every area, their
data can chart everything from their current position to what time a gust
of wind hit. Their website, www.georgiaskywarn.com, can give more information
and allow citizens another place to chart weather.
The next stop on the tour was the Southeast River Forecast Center, which
is the second half of the National Weather Service. They cover an area
that includes all rivers East of Mobile Bay and stretches from some parts
of Virginia to Puerto Rico and as far west as Mississippi. They measure
all rainfall in that area through the use of rain gages, 1,500 in the
Southeast, and radar. Their job is important because not only can they
tell when areas are in danger of flash flooding but they can also predict
river floods.
Outside of the tour, visitors also got a chance to see a weather balloon.
Weather balloons are released every 12 hours in over 1,000 locations.
They rise 1,000 feet per second and burst at 90,000 feet. A parachute
guarantees a soft landing for instrumentation inside and the weather balloon
can give detailed atmospheric information. The weather balloons are used
in conjunction with radars to give the staff at the National Weather Service
the information needed to give the public the weather.
As for what the winter holds weather wise for Georgians, Rothfusz stated
that unlike other years, there are no indications either way this year.
“This is not an El Nino or La Nina year. It is pretty even and that
makes a long range forecast more difficult.”
For naysayers out there who think that meteorologists are often wrong,
when asked about the weather for Sunday, the day after the tour, Rothfusz
guaranteed rain. He was right.
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