Ahsha Tribble, Ph.D. Chief, Climate Services Division | NOAA National Weather Service May 20, 2009

1. NWS Regional and Local Climate Services Ahsha Tribble, Ph.D. Chief, Climate Services Division | NOAA National Weather Service May 20, 2009

2. Overview NOAA’s Goals and Mission NWS Climate Services NWS Regional and Local Perspective Key Regional Partners NWS Regional and Local Climate Services 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

3. NOAA’s Mission 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

4. National Weather Service Climate Services Climate Services Division Regional Headquarters and Local Offices Climate Prediction Center 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

5. NWS Local Delivery Points 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

6. 13 River Forecast Centers (RFCs) 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

7. Regional and Local Perspective on NWS Climate Services

8. Western Region:Water and Climate • Colorado Basin River Forecast Center (RFC) issues forecasts for seasonal snow melt streamflow volumes in the western US: • Collaborative process with other federal agencies (i.e., NRCS) • Prototyping nationwide water resources outlook • Combines mountain snow pack, soil moisture, and weather and water forecasts into a hydrologic and snow modeling system • Result: Improved ability to manage the nation’s surface fresh water resources 8 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

9. Central Region:Easter Freeze of April 2007 • “The Easter Freeze of April 2007: A Climatological Perspective and Assessment of Impacts and Services” • First time NOAA/NWS assessed climate impacts from late season freeze event • $2 billion plus in damages (NOAA, USDA) • NWS Climate Services, NCDC, RCCs, multiple State Climatologists, USDA and others contributed • Result: NWS changed practices on non-precipitation events (e.g., freeze and heat warnings) to include impacts; more collaboration with partners Missouri canopy, 2006 Missouri canopy, 2007 In early April 2007, a late spring freeze severely damaged canopies. Bottom image shows the frost-blackened canopy. (From L. Gu et al., courtesy BioScience) 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

10. Eastern Region:NDFDClimate National Digital Forecast Database Climate (NDFDClimate) is a computer application that creates images of forecast and climatological parameters for the continental U.S. Produces easy to understand graphics for display on the Internet Informs users about local climatology Helps power utilities to anticipate/forecast energy needs Alerts public to anomalous temperature forecasts 10 http://www.erh.noaa.gov/cle/weather/wseta/NDFDClimate.html 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

11. Alaska Region: Supporting Decision Making • NWS Alaska Region is participating in: • The Denali Commission - submitted its FY09 Work Plan, which now includes climate change in its planning • The Climate Change Adaptation Advisory Group - made its first decisions on climate change policy options The Final Recommendations Report to the Govenor’s Sub-Cabinet from the Immediate Action Working Group - regarding the actions and policies that should be taken in the next 12 –18 months to prevent loss of life and property in Alaska’s communities that have been identified as those in greatest peril due to climate change phenomena (April 2008) 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

12. Pacific Region: Pacific Climate Information System (PaCIS) • End-to-end regional climate services • Collaborative partnerships: internal and external to NOAA, providers and users • Surveying user needs, available information, and gaps • Action Plan completed; implementation Plan currently under development • Regional climate portal under development http://www.ideademo.org/pacis/index.php August 5-7, 2008 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

13. Southern Region:Local Office Value Added Service WFO Miami conducts semi-annual wet season and dry season briefings for the media Inform decision makers and increase public awareness of expected conditions in south Florida based on ENSO signal and local knowledge of impacts 13 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

14. Southern Region:Local Value Added Climate Products Florida has a very strong signal to El Niño/La Niña conditions. WFO Melbourne issues a dry season (November-April) outlook yearly for the Florida peninsula. Outlook for 2009/10 suggests fire danger is now very high across the Florida peninsula. 14 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

15. NWS National Training for Regional Climate Users Drought Remote Sensing El Niño / La Niña Climate Models • Climate, Drought and Remote Sensing for California Department of Water Resources, June 17-18, 2009 • Participants: Engineers, Hydrologists, Water Resource Managers • Result will be a more climate literate decision maker with the knowledge to apply climate information and resources in their work Sample of Training Topics 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

16. National Product for Regional Application: Hurricane Seasonal Outlook 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

17. Key Regional Partners

18. Regional Climate Centers (RCCs) • Valuable resource for NOAA operational and planning climate activities • Develop tools (i.e., Applied Climate Information System, Datzilla, and WxCoderIII) • Direct interaction with climate stakeholders • Applied research on regional climate variability • Educate stakeholders on emerging regional climate issues 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

19. American Association for State Climatologists (AASC) • Provide a direct conduit of climate information and expertise into planning and management within the state • Partnerships with NOAA, RCCs, NRCS • Research, monitoring, services and expertise at the state and local level 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

20. Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments (RISAs) • Collaboration with NWS Regions and local offices • Support research that addresses complex climate sensitive issues of concern to decision-makers and policy planners at a regional level. • Conduct extension climate studies, e.g. climate and forestry, agriculture, water management, human health, snow pack, wild fire, fisheries, coastal impacts, droughts, etc. 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

21. Pacific ENSO Applications Center (PEAC) • Conducts research and develop information products specific to the US-Affiliated Pacific Islands on the ENSO climate cycle • Historical impacts in the Region • Latest long-term forecasts of ENSO conditions 3rd Annual NOAA Day on Capitol Hill

22. Summary • NOAA/NWS is working to provide useful and timely climate information at the regional and local level • We rely on a network of information from within and external to NOAA to ensure we are addressing relevant issues in each region