Does your WFO do their HWOs like this?

[Tim Shriver]

Howdy,

I have noticed too often that spotter information line in the HWO seems to be ignored
or is incorrect.

I have actually seen an HWO issued during a thunderstorm warning with the spotter
statement saying they would not be needed.

Below you see this mornings with a slight risk in our area for day 2.
But the spotter information line says we will not be needed for the next seven days.

Maybe they should say " might be needed" or "probably wont be needed" instead.
Maybe they shouldnt give the numbers of days and just say they won't be needed today.

Some WFOs seem to have this issue more than others.

Tim






FLUS43 KMKX 140825
HWOMKX

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 325 AM CDT MON MAY 14 2012

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-150830-
MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE-
WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE-
LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA-
325 AM CDT MON MAY 14 2012

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.

..DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

..DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS PUT THE AREA IN A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY TUESDAY EVENING. HOWEVER...THE CHANCE FOR STORMS IS RATHER SMALL AS MOISTURE WILL BE LIMITED. IF STORMS DEVELOP...THERE IS SUFFICIENT WIND SHEAR AND STEEP LAPSE RATES THAT COULD HELP SUPPORT A FEW STORMS WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY AND AGAIN ON SUNDAY.

..SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED IN THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS.

 

[Joey Ketcham]

I've seen this before with my local WFO, like you even when the area was under a severe thunderstorm watch and the latest HWO said spotter activation wouldn't be needed.

 

[Keith Wilson]

I see it from time to time here, but more often than they will throw a blanket HWO over possible spotter activation/self-activation if there is a chance of storms.

An example that I see frequently from TAE is, "Spotter activation is not anticipated, however spotters are encouraged to relay reports of significant or severe weather."

Living in the "seabreeze zone", this is quite common in the summer.

 

[John Wetter]

HWO is often an early morning product that doesn't see updates unless it's a bigger day. Most offices that are serious about working with spotters have better short-fuse methods of activating spotters.

 

[rdale]

A lot of EMs use the HWO in planning efforts... If there is a risk of activation due to sevwx on Day2, the product probably should not say they won't be activating. It sounds like they disagree with the SPC outlook which is fine, but in that case they shouldn't mention it?

 

[Tim Shriver]

A lot of EMs use the HWO in planning efforts... If there is a risk of activation due to sevwx on Day2, the product probably should not say they won't be activating. It sounds like they disagree with the SPC outlook which is fine, but in that case they shouldn't mention it?

About an hour after I posted here an HWO came out with different wording in the spotter section. They used the "might be needed" line.

Same statement, they just changed the spotter statement.

If they differ with the SPC than that should be indicated in some way. The one thing we dont need is more confusion out of the local WFO's.

Tim

 

[rdale]

It was probably just an oversight then. Which makes the discussion moot.

 

[Tim Shriver]

HWO is often an early morning product that doesn't see updates unless it's a bigger day. Most offices that are serious about working with spotters have better short-fuse methods of activating spotters.

Our WFO does not "activate" spotters.

Tim

 

[rdale]

Sure they do. Sending out a watch or warning is a sign for spotters to activate. Many self activate before that happens. But for those who don't, the warning serves as that notification.

 

[Tim Shriver]

Sure they do. Sending out a watch or warning is a sign for spotters to activate. Many self activate before that happens. But for those who don't, the warning serves as that notification.

Activating when a warning is issued is too late. We activate ourselves. Yes, we note watches and warnings but for the most part our Nowcasters/Manager on Duty activates our group.

We learned this after the f5 tore apart Barneveld with no warning and just after the watch ended.

Tim

Sent from my BlackBerry 9850

 

[TJKLECKNER]

We always get a brand new Hazardous Weather Outlook that reads: Hazardous Weather is not anticipated

 

[Robert Dewey]

Yep -- you can see on this map that a lot of WFOs issue HWOs when there is no hazardous weather.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crh/

 

[rdale]

It is a required daily product.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Yes I have seen the same with the PAH HWO's as well. However, I been seeing a lot of requests for spotters to report on the rain we get. I guess there is that much concern for the river.

 

[fyrfyter]

Activating when a warning is issued is too late. We activate ourselves. Yes, we note watches and warnings but for the most part our Nowcasters/Manager on Duty activates our group.

We learned this after the f5 tore apart Barneveld with no warning and just after the watch ended.

Tim

Sent from my BlackBerry 9850

We don't self activate. We get a phone call from someone at the WFO, usually before or right as the watch is issued. Sometimes we get a hour or several hours lead time. Sometimes we do not. It all depends upon the situation.

 

[rdale]

So if a storm comes through unwarned, and some hams in the area report severe criteria obs, you would keep the net inactive until the NWS calls you to say it is severe? I don't quite get that...

 

[fyrfyter]

There is not much of a point in bringing up the local skywarn net, if there is no ham at the WFO who can answer the reports. If the repeater isn't in watch or warning mode, nobody would report it in anyways. I can report stuff in as it occurs, but that is limited to a few people in each Skywarn section. How many times have you seen this happen? In the last 5 years, I seem to recall this only happening twice where a warning was issued outside of a watch box, and it was small in size. (maybe a county in size, if that).

 

[rdale]

Whatever works best

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Our local WFO (PAH) always includes spotter information statements in their HWOs. They also issue SPIN emails which is spotter information emails to tell us about significant events threatening the PAH region. Got one today over the mess coming in Wednesday... Luckily though, I work first shift tomorrow so I will be available to spot/chase tormorrow night