Final Certification for the Combined Consolidation and/or Automation and Closure of 80 Weather Service Offices (WSOs) and Consolidation of Two WSOs

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Final Certification for the Combined Consolidation and/or

Automation and Closure of 80 Weather Service Offices (WSOs) and

Consolidation of Two WSOs

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: On May 6, 1998 the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere

approved and transmitted 14 office consolidation, 46 office automation,

and 80 office closure certifications to Congress. Pub. L. 102-567

requires that the final certifications be published in the Federal

Register.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 12, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the final certification packages

should be sent to Tom Beaver, Room 11426, 1325 East-West Highway,

Silver Spring, MD 20910.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tom Beaver at 301-713-0300 ext. 144.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The two consolidation certifications for

Astoria and Wichita Falls were proposed in the December 27, 1996

Federal Register and the 60-day public comment period closed on

February 25, 1997. The remaining 80 certification packages were

proposed in the January 7, 1997 Federal Register and the 60-day public

comment period closed on March 10, 1997. Thirteen timely and three late

public comments were received pertaining to WSO Astoria. Individual

public comments were received pertaining to each of the following WSOs:

Muskegon, Michigan; Rapid City, South Dakota; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania;

Apalachicola, Florida; and Port Arthur, Texas. Two public comments were

received pertaining to Athens, Georgia and one comment was received

that pertained to Pennsylvania sites in general. These comments and

responses are set forth here for reference.

Comment: Thirteen timely and three late comments were received from

individuals in the Astoria, Oregon area. Individuals providing comments

included Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, State Representative Jackie

Taylor, Senator George H. Smith, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, State

Representative Tim Josi, Sheriff and Director of Emergency Services

John P. Raichl, Airport Manager and Director of Operations Port of

Astoria Ron Larsen, and Captain and President Columbia River Bar Pilots

George A. Waer. The main concern presented by all individuals was the

loss of face to face interaction with National Weather Service (NWS)

personnel and the perceived inability to forecast for the ``unique''

weather conditions at Astoria from Portland.

Response: To ensure all concerns were addressed and understood, the

March 1997 Modernization Transition Committee (MTC) meeting was held in

Astoria. The community leaders and anyone else concerned with NWS

Modernization actions had the opportunity to express their concerns to

the Committee. The MTC and the public in attendance listened to both

the NWS management from Portland and the public. The major topics

discussed during the six-hour public comment period on the Astoria

Consolidation Certification during the March 18, 1997 meeting are

summarized below. A major concerns surrounding the Astoria

Consolidation was the ability of the Portland NEXRAD Weather Service

Forecast Office (NWSFO) to provide information on the Columbia River

Bar and offshore marine environment. To address these concerns the NWS

presented the following: (1) the Portland office has access to all data

that the Astoria office did and access to data that the Astoria office

never had; (2) the Astoria WSO never produced the marine forecasts,

these products have always been issued from Seattle or Portland; (3)

mariners can contact the forecasters in Portland directly by phone; and

(4) an Internet home page maintained in Portland allows ready access to

current weather forecasts and products for Oregon and the coastal

waters.

The ability of the Portland office to recognize rapid changes in

the Atoria weather was questioned. However, the infrastructure

affecting this ability has only improved since services were

transferred to Portland. The more timely and robust data sets of the

Modernization (i.e., Doppler radar, high resolution satellite imagery

and continuous surface observations) provide a superior platform for

Portland to monitor rapid weather changes than was previously present

in the Astoria office. The severe weather spotter volunteers previously

used by Astoria are still in place, except they now call Portland when

severe weather threatens.

[[Page 26157]]

The Portland office also employs two staff from the Astoria WSO, so

``local'' expertise is available.

Since Portland is serving a larger metropolitan area, the ability

of the office to give the Astoria community attention was challenged.

However, most of the forecast services for Astoria have always come

from Portland. A result of the Modernization in Oregon is that the

Portland area of responsibility is decreasing substantially; thus more

time is being spent on Astoria than before. A Warning Coordination

Meteorologist and Weather Coordination Officer are assigned to the

Portland office and coordinate with the Astoria office to ensure

everyone receives adequate attention. Portland has made significant

service adjustments in the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) and marine reports

program to meet the Astoria community needs, and will continue to take

this approach in the future. After hearing both sides, the MTC members

determined that there would not be a degradation of services associated

with this proposed Consolidation certification. However, the MTC

recognized potential future degradation of services associated with

Automation and Closure certification and made the following

recommendation:

The Portland WFO will work with the Astoria WCO and the

community to define the remaining concerns and develop and implement

procedures to ensure degradation of service does not occur. The

issues identified by the committee include, but are not limited to,

the need to ensure the adequacy of ASOS augmentation, the

availability of consultation concerning river bar forecasts, and the

implementation of special procedures during extreme conditions. In

addition, the Committee has determined that a data buoy in proximity

to the bar is essential. However, the characteristics of Data Buoy

46029 are not adequate to provide needed services.

The Committee agreed to pay careful attention to future actions

concerning the Astoria office and requested follow-up briefings from

the NWS at future meetings. The MTC also encouraged the public to keep

them advised through public comments. Both the public and the NWS

management seemed satisfied with the MTC conclusion, and everyone

gained a better understanding of the problems and required solutions.

Comment: Mr. Roy Wheeler, Assistant Director of the Muskegon County

Emergency Services, responded to the Federal Register Announcement

concerning the Consolidation, Automation, and Closure Certifications

for Muskegon, MI. He expressed concern that: (1) he is not being served

as well with the Modernized technology and organizational structure as

he was with the ``old system''; (2) during severe weather he does not

receive ``adequate weather reports'' and he does not receive accurate

information in support of major fires and chemical spills; (3) the

Amateur Radio Community is installing automated weather observing

equipment; (4) while the staff at NEXRAD Weather Service Office (NWSO)

Grand Rapids has been cooperative, he has lost the personal contact

that he received from the ``old system''; and (5) ``on more than one

occasion this past season, we were not notified when severe weather was

present''.

Response: The staff at NWSO Grand Rapids have had numerous contacts

with the Emergency Management Services of Muskegon County since

becoming operational in August of 1995 (open houses, seminars, spotter

training sessions for Muskegon County, etc.). Some of the contacts were

for normal operational issues, while others were to explain modernized

technology and the new organizational structure. Every Emergency

Management organization in the NWSO Grand Rapids County Warning Area

has access to the severe weather forecaster via toll-free 800 service.

Severe weather watches and warnings are provided via NOAA Weather Wire

Service (NWWS), NWR, Internet Web Page, Emergency Manager Weather

Information Network (EMWIN), as well as the Law Enforcement Information

Network (LEIN). During HAZMAT situations on October 16, 1996 and

December 13, 1996, surface observation data (i.e. wind speed and

direction, temperature/dewpoint, pressure, etc.) from the Automated

Surface Observing System (ASOS) at the Muskegon Airport as well as

forecasts for the local area were provided to Muskegon County Emergency

Dispatch and 911 upon request. NWSO Grand Rapids and the Amateur Radio

Community have entered into a cooperative arrangement to expand the use

of automated surface observation equipment. In fact, the NWS has

provided some funding in support of the demonstration project. The

automated equipment has been purchased commercially and is similar to

the automated observation equipment used by television stations,

utility companies, road departments, etc. NWSO Grand Rapids has been

responsible for issuing severe weather warnings for Muskegon County for

only the 1996 severe weather season. During that season, 3 warnings

were issued. Two of them verified with reports of large hail. The other

warning had no severe weather reported. Lead times were 7 and 13

minutes. When contacted in the Fall of 1996, in association with the

Confirmation of Services for the NEXRAD Doppler radar at NWSO Grand

Rapids, Mr. Wheeler responded ``Warnings are as good as before, but I

still wish the radar had been located at Muskegon''. Mr. Wheeler has

stated on previous occasions that his primary concerns are: (1) The

lack of telephone contact initiated by the staff at NWSO Grand Rapids

during times of severe weather; and (2) that he would have preferred

the WSR-88D be located in Muskegon instead of Grand Rapids. Technology

(NWR, EMWIN, Internet, NWWS, EAS, LEIN, etc.) allows severe weather

warnings and statements to be transmitted quickly to all the Emergency

Managers in the County Warning Area (CWA). The Muskegon County

Emergency Management Services (EMS) has access to NWWS and to NWR as

well as to the LEIN. Mr. Wheeler can contact the Grand Rapids staff via

the 800 service anytime, but it is not possible for the staff at NWSO

Grand Rapids to make calls to each of the Emergency Management

Organizations in their 28 county warning area during severe weather

events. The WSR-88D at Grand Rapids is of optimum range (20-50 miles)

from Muskegon County for severe weather detection. Leo Grenier, the

Warning Coordination Officer (WCO) at Muskegon, has made several

contacts with the Muskegon County EMS and the 911 Service, discussed

their concerns, and explained the most efficient means for them to

receive severe weather watches, warnings, and statements, Dan Houser,

Meteorologist in Charge, and Mike Heathfield, Warning Coordination

Meteorologist from Grand Rapids have also had similar conversations.

Mr. Houser is organizing a follow-up meeting with the Muskegon County

EMS, Muskegon County 911, and the Director of the local amateur radio

club. Mr. Houser will make every attempt to satisfy the concerns of the

participants. [On April 30, 1998 in a conversation between Mr. Wheeler

and NWSO Grand Rapids staff, Mr. Wheeler said he was satisfied with the

current services provided by NWSO Grand Rapids.]

Comment: Mr. Norman Pudwill, Director of the Fall River County

Emergency Management Organization, responded to the Federal Register

Announcement concerning the Consolidation, Automation, and Closure

Certification for Rapid City. While he is ``very happy'' with the

products and services provided by the new NWS

[[Page 26158]]

office in Rapid City, he is concerned by the lack of high quality NWR

coverage in Fall River County.

Response: In a reply letter from the Central Regional Director, two

alternatives requiring private/public partnerships were described for

Mr. Pudwill. The NWS is not funded for NWR expansion, so it is

incumbent on Mr. Pudwill to work with private groups or local

government entities to acquire a transmitter/antenna system that is

compatible with NWS programming consoles. Central Region Headquarters

will continue to work with Mr. Pudwill in his effort to improve NWS

coverage in southwest South Dakota. [Central Region Headquarters has

advised Mr. Pudwill of the requirements for an additional transmitter.

As of April 30, 1998, Mr. Pudwill has been unable to obtain a local

funding source for the additional equipment.]

Comment: A public comment from Representative George W. Gekas

raised an issue regarding deficiencies in NEXRAD coverage for the

Harrisburg metropolitan region. The comment cited several documented

cases of severe weather conditions which went undetected by the NEXRAD

system, the most recent being in May 1996.

Response: Both the June 1995 National Research Council study,

``Toward a New National Weather Service--Assessment of NEXRAD Coverage

and Associated Weather Services'' and the follow-on October 1995

``Secretary's Report to Congress on Adequacy of NEXRAD Coverage and

Degradation of Weather Services under National Weather Service

Modernization for 32 Areas of Concern'' concluded that NEXRAD coverage

for the Harrisburg area and associated weather services would not be

degraded. Harrisburg, PA was one of 32 areas of concern established by

public comments solicited by the Secretary of Commerce between November

1994 and January 1995. This information as well as the detailed

findings in the Secretary's Report was conveyed to Representative Gekas

in an August 26, 1996 letter from Mr. Louis J. Boezi, Deputy Assistant

Administrator for Modernization of the NWS. The August 26 letter also

responded with the particulars on the May 1996 severe weather event and

referenced previous replies from the NWS on the earlier weather events

cited by Representative Gekas.

Comment: A public comment from Larry Wells, Gulf County Emergency

Management, raised the issues that the WSR-88D covering Gulf County is

60 miles away from Apalachicola and that NWSO Tallahassee (the office

which is responsible for Gulf County) has almost 50 counties under its

responsibility versus the two counties for which WSO Apalachicola was

responsible. The comment also mentioned a severe thunderstorm warning

for Gulf County on February 14, 1997 which Mr. Wells thought was issued

after a storm had already passed through Gulf County.

Response: Gulf County is within overlapping coverage of both the

Tallahassee and Eglin Air Force Base WSR-88Ds. Almost all of Gulf

County is within 60 nm of both WSR-88Ds. Even though NWSO Tallahassee

is responsible for more counties than was WSO Apalachicola, NWSO

Tallahassee had a much larger staff than did WSO Apalachicola. Archived

data from the Tallahassee WSR-88D indicated that the February 14, 1997

severe thunderstorm warning for Gulf County was timely.

Comment: A public comment from W.M. Timmerman, Jr. mentioned

inaccurate weather information broadcast by The Weather Channel and a

local TV weather reporter. Mr. Timmerman also mentioned two other

instances of inaccurate weather information.

Response: The NWS is not responsible for weather information

presented by The Weather Channel or local TV weather reporters. Not

enough information was presented about the latter two instances in the

letter to determine if the weather information was from the NWS or from

local TV stations. Mr. Timmerman was contacted by NWSO Lake Charles

with an invitation to visit the NWSO and become a local storm spotter/

rainfall observer for the Port Arthur area.

Comment: A public comment from Barry Church, Habersham County

Emergency Management, (Athens, Georgia) stated his concern over the

lack of attention given by NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg to spotter

reports during a February 21, 1997 tornado event in Habersham County.

Mr. Church also mentioned poor NWR reception in Habersham County and

his perceived lack of attention given to the six northeast Georgia

counties during a statewide tornado drill on February 26, 1997.

Response: NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg's log for February 21, 1997

indicated that a tornado watch which included Habersham County was

issued at 2:28 PM EST. NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg issued a Severe

Thunderstorm Warning for Habersham County at 2:51 PM EST which was

valid until 3:30 PM EST. Habersham County was advised by telephone of

the warning at 2:53 PM. Habersham County called NWSO Greenville/

Spartanburg at 3:09 PM EST with a report of damaging winds county-wide

with the first damage having occurred at about 3:00 PM (some of the

damage was later identified as F-1 tornado damage). At 3:28 PM EST NWSO

Greenville/Spartanburg received a call from Habersham County with three

reports of funnel clouds just north of Cornelia. However, by this time

the line of storms had already passed through Habersham County. Poor

NWR reception in Habersham County has been an ongoing problem. NWSO

Greenville/Spartanburg has had recent discussions with officials in

Graham County, North Carolina concerning a possible new NWR transmitter

in that county financed by Natahala Power Company. The NWR signal from

such a transmitter should reach into Habersham County. If a repeater is

necessary for reception in Habersham County, Mr. Church has offered to

donate a tower site. Habersham County was included in the Georgia

statewide tornado drill held on February 26, 1997. NWSO Greenville/

Spartanburg issued a practice warning during the drill which included

Habersham County. NWSO Greenville/Spartanburg verified through a

telephone call that Habersham County received the practice warning.

Comment: A public comment from Peggy Hewatt, Barrow County

Emergency Management, questioned whether NWSFO Atlanta could

communicate with her office as well as WSO Athens had in the past.

Response: Ms. Hewatt gave no specific instance where NWSFO Atlanta

had failed to communicate weather information to Barrow County and even

stated that her comment ``does not mean that Peachtree City is not

doing a fine job * * *'' NWSFO Atlanta's area of responsibility is

larger than that which WSO Athens had and it may be that NWSFO Atlanta

may not be able to use the telephone to communicate with each

individual county as often as WSO Athens did in the past. However,

communication methods such as NWR, NWWS, and EMWIN are available for

the receipt of weather information.

Comment: A public comment from Senator Arlen Specter raised an

issue regarding the reliance on stand-alone ASOSs at Lehigh Valley

Airport (Allentown, PA) specifically and throughout Pennsylvania

generally. The comment stated ``since the start of ASOS operations on

November 12, 1996, Lehigh Valley International Airport has been forced

to deal with numerous discrepancies in determining visibility and types

of precipitation at the airport.'' The comment also stated

[[Page 26159]]

that Bradford Regional Airport had experienced several ASOS power

losses.

Response: None of the NWS-sponsored ASOSs located at WSOs in

Pennsylvania are stand-alone systems. All of these are classified as

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) service level C or higher which

means that humans will be present to provide augmentation and back-up

for the ASOSs. Augmentation means adding parameters that ASOS does not

measure. Back-up means measuring parameters in the event of an ASOS

failure or if the ASOS measurement is not representative of the

meteorological conditions. Augmentation and back-up is done either by

FAA controllers or a contractor. ASOS operations at Lehigh Valley

International Airport did not start on November 12, 1996. This ASOS was

commissioned on November 1, 1995 after a pre-commissioning checkout

period to determine that the system was performing reliably and

correctly. Upon commissioning, NWS employees at WSO Allentown performed

required augmentation and back-up of the ASOS until November 12, 1996

when responsibility for this was transferred to the FAA. FAA was

planning to provide the augmentation and backup at service level C by

air traffic controllers at the airport, however, the Lehigh Valley

International Airport Authority sponsored a contract to provide level B

service. The Bradford Regional Airport is an FAA-sponsored expansion

site. This means that prior to the ASOS being commissioned there on

December 2, 1996, this airport had no round-the-clock surface

observation.

The MTC considered and endorsed these certifications at its March

18, 1997 meeting, concluding that these certifications would not result

in any degradation of service.

(1) Astoria, OR--Consolidation

(2) Wichita Falls, TX--Consolidation

(3) Omaha, NE--Consolidation/Closure

(4) Sacramento, CA--Consolidation/Closure

(5) Akron, OH--Automation/Closure

(6) Allentown, PA--Automation/Closure

(7) Atlanta, GA--Automation/Closure

(8) Atlantic City, NJ--Automation/Closure

(9) Baltimore, MD--Automation/Closure

(10) Baton Rouge, LA--Automation/Closure

(11) Chicago, IL--Automation/Closure

(12) Columbia, MO--Automation/Closure

(13) Columbus, OH--Automation/Closure

(14) Dayton, OH--Automation/Closure

(15) Daytona Beach, FL--Automation/Closure

(16) Detroit, MI--Automation/Closure

(17) El Paso, TX--Automation/Closure

(18) Flint, MI--Automation/Closure

(19) Knoxville, TN--Automation/Closure

(20) Lubbock, TX--Automation/Closure

(21) Lynchburg, VA--Automation/Closure

(22) Mansfield, OH--Automation/Closure

(23) Moline, IL--Automation/Closure

(24) Montgomery, AL--Automation/Closure

(25) Norfolk, VA--Automation/Closure

(26) Oklahoma City, OK--Automation/Closure

(27) Raleigh, NC--Automation/Closure

(28) Richmond, VA--Automation/Closure

(29) Roanoke, VA--Automation/Closure

(30) San Antonio, TX--Automation/Closure

(31) San Diego, CA--Automation/Closure

(32) Sioux City, IA--Automation/Closure

(33) Stockton, CA--Automation/Closure

(34) Toledo, OH--Automation/Closure

(35) Tulsa, OK--Automation/Closure

(36)West Palm Beach, FL--Automation/Closure

(37) Wilke-Barre, PA--Automation/Closure

(38) Williamsport, PA--Automation/Closure

(39) Wilmington, DE--Automation/Closure

(40) Youngstown, OH--Automation/Closure

(41) Asheville, NC--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(42) Augusta, GA--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(43) Cincinnati, OH--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(44) Fargo, ND--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(45) Greensboro, NC--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(46) Lewiston, ID--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(47) Muskegon, MI--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(48) Rapid City, SD--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(49) Savannah, GA--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(50) Springfield, IL--Consolidation/Automation/Closure

(51) Apalachicola, FL--Closure

(52) Athens, GA--Closure

(53) Austin, TX--Closure

(54) Bakersfield, CA--Closure

(55) Billings, MT--Closure

(56) Bristol, TN--Closure

(57) Cape Hatteras, NC--Closure

(58) Columbus, GA--Closure

(59) Del Rio, TX--Closure

(60) Eugene, OR--Closure

(61) Fort Myers, FL--Closure

(62) Galveston, TX--Closure

(63) Grand Island, NE--Closure

(64) Harrisburg, PA--Closure

(65) Helena, MT--Closure

(66) Klamath Falls, OR--Closure

(67) Los Angeles, CA--Closure

(68) Macon, GA--Closure

(69) New Orleans, LA--Closure

(70) New York City, NY--Closure

(71) Olympia, WA--Closure

(72) Orlando, FL--Closure

(73) Pensacola, FL--Closure

(74) Phoenix, AZ--Closure

(75) Port Arthur, TX--Closure

(76) Reading, PA--Closure

(77) Reno, NV--Closure

(78) Rosewell, NM--Closure

(79) Salem, OR--Closure

(80) St. Louis, MO--Closure

(81) Waco, TX--Closure

(82) Winslow, AZ--Closure

After consideration of the public comments received and the MTC

endorsements, the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere approved

these 82 combined consolidation and/or automation and closure

certifications and transmitted them to Congress on May 6, 1998.

Certification approval authority was delegated from the Secretary to

the Under Secretary in June 1996. The NWS is now completing the

certification requirements of Pub. L. 102-567 by publishing the final

consolidation and/or automation and closure certifications in the

Federal Register.

Dated: May 7, 1998.

John J. Kelly, Jr.,

Assistant Administrator for Weather Services.

[FR Doc. 98-12605 Filed 5-11-98; 8:45 am]

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