Page 280 - NS-2 Textbook

Weather Forecasting

Weather forecasting has developed into a full-time activ- states, and it also has facilities in overseas locations and
ity of the U.S. government, the armed services, and many on ships worldwide. Each day it receives and processes
commercial meteorological enterprises. This chapter will 12,000 synoptic (general) and 25,000 hourly reports from
discuss some of the procedures used by the National surface observation stations; 1,400 reports from ships;
Weather Service and the Naval Meteorological and 1,500 atmospheric soundings; 2,500 reports from aircraft;
Oceanography Command to forecast the weather. and all available cloud, temperahue, and other data from
,veather satellites.
The service provides weather information to news-
NATIONAL WEATHER
papers, radio and television stations, and other llledia for
The principal weather agency in the United States is the the general public. I! makes studies of climate and con-
National Weather Service. I! is part of the National Oceanic ducts basic and applied research for the purposes of im-
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is a part proving fuhu"e forecasts and services and advancing the
of the Department of Commerce. The National Weather science of meteorology.
Service reports the weather of the United States and its ter- Much of the National Weather Service's everyday ac-
ritories and provides weather, hydrologic (water effects), tivity is geared to the service of aviation through its Avi-
and climate forecasts and warnings to the general public. ation Weather Center in Kansas City, Missouri. I! makes
I! issues warnings about such destructive weather condi- available up-to-the-minute flight condition forecasts to
tions as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. I! provides spe- all parts of the aviation community.
cial weather services in support of aviation, Inarine activi-
ties, agriculhlre, forestry, urban air-quality control, and
THE NAVAL METEOROLOGY AND
other activities that are sensitive to the 1veather.
OCEANOGRAPHY COMMAND
The National Weather Service is composed of a head-
quarters at Camp Springs, Maryland, near Washington, Because the National Weather Service must serve so many
D.C.; six national support centers; and six regional head- interests in so many V\Tays, it cannot gear its activities to
quarters that support field activities throughout the con- the special needs of the armed services worldwide. Each
tinental United States, Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii, and of the services must maintain its own weather agency. For
other islands in the Pacific Ocean. It receives ·weather the Navy, tlus is the mission of the Naval Meteorology and
data from about 12,000 substations, many of which are Oceanography Command headquartered at Stennis Space
maintained by volunteers. Centel~ Mississippi. It provides global forecast services
Chief among the six national support centers is the to meet Navy and other Department of Defense needs
National Centers for Environmental Prediction, aChIally throughout the world. I! includes elements of the operat- .
a group of nine different specialized centers that each ing forces, shore establishment, and Navy Department,
focus on one aspect of the overall national warning and and cooperates fully with all national, regional, and inter-
forecasting process. They include the Aviation Weather national weather agencies. I! is also an active participant
Center at Kansas City, Missouri; the Climate Prediction in the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Center at Camp Springs, Maryland; the Space Environ- Navy weather units are maintained with all major
ment Center at Boulder, Colorado; the Storm Prediction aviation units, major combatant and auxiliary vessels,
Center at Norman, Oklahoma; the Tropical Prediction fleet flagships, and most naval shore activities. Trained
Center (better known as the National Hurricane Center) enlisted aerographer's mates and meteorological officers
at Miami, Florida; and four other centers. are assigned to these weather tIluts. On ships that do not
The National Weather Service employs thousands of carry aerographers and meteorologists, weather observa-
people twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. It tions and reporting are carried out by the ship's naviga-
operates some 400 weather facilities throughout the fifty tor, assisted by trained quartermasters.

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