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NWS Support for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. NWS Partners Workshop June 22, 2010 Bill Bunting, WFO Fort Worth TX. Timeline. April 20th : Deepwater Horizon Oil Platform Explosion April 21 st : Initial request for NWS support from NOAA and USCG (9:10 a.m.)
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NWS Support for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill NWS Partners Workshop June 22, 2010 Bill Bunting, WFO Fort Worth TX
Timeline • April 20th: Deepwater Horizon Oil Platform Explosion • April 21st: Initial request for NWS support from NOAA and USCG (9:10 a.m.) • First forecast for NOAA Hazmat (10:15 a.m.) • Initial graphical forecast for USCG (10:59 a.m.) • April 27th: Marine Emergency Response Meteorologist (ERMET) deployed • April 28th: Hourly forecasts for oil burn, aviation, and marine operations • May 4th: Decision Support website available
Current NWS Support • Two ERMETs at the Joint Operations Center in Houma and extra forecast desk in Slidell • Support from WFOs Mobile, Lake Charles, Houston • River Forecast Centers provide freshwater inflow forecasts for ocean currents model • WFOs Tampa, Key West, and Miami providing enhanced local support • Southern Region Headquarters providing state, regional, and national coordination support from Regional Operations Center
Current Forecast Services • Hourly SPOT forecasts for spill location and 2 surf zone locations supporting controlled oil burns • Two special TAFs at NASA Stennis and Houma • Several daily conference calls/briefings with NOAA, USCG, EPA, EMA, DHS, BP and others • Specialized graphics for winds, seas, and heat index • HYSPLIT trajectory forecasts – oil burn support • Weather support for Presidential visits
DWH Decision Support Page Weather.gov/lix
NWS On Site Mike Efferson (WFO LIX), NWS Director Jack Hayes, Tim Erickson and Ken Graham (WFO LIX)