Most people think of the National

Weather Service as the people behind the scroll on the bottom of their

television screen during severe weather. After that, it is a case of out

of sight, out of mind. However, members of the staff of the National Weather

Service are always there, 24-7, manning the dozens of computers and monitors,

remaining ever-vigilant.

The National Weather Service

in Peachtree City held an open house last Saturday, letting members of

the public see how they operate and get the weather to the citizens when

they need it most. Lans Rothfusz, the facility's meteorologist in

charge, stated that the open house, which is typically an annual event,

is important around this time of year because Georgia is entering what

he considers to be the "second season of severe weather."

"Spring is a time when

Georgia experiences a lot of severe weather," said Rothfusz. "However,

between summer and winter, the period between mid-November and January,

another round of severe weather hits. This is not the time of year to

let your guard down."

While the staff of 50 employees

at the National Weather Service in Peachtree City monitor all of the weather,

all the time, they really shine when severe weather hits. Through the

tour during the open house, visitors got to stop at each station and see

how the information is processed and disseminated to the public.

The first stop on the tour

was Operations. This area was highly technology driven and featured 35

monitors visible from all over. This is where all of the data collection

and forecasting starts.

The Peachtree City branch of

the National Weather Service is the largest of six offices in Georgia.

Not only are all six branches linked but all of the offices in the nation

are linked. The information can focus on an extremely short term forecast

for a very small area and can expand to look at a long term forecast for

a large area.

The second stop was where the

weather radio broadcast center was located, which was a few strides away.

Reports are sent to the computers and an entirely computer synthesized

voice broadcasts the reports. The entire system is digitally operated

but if a transmitter goes out, certain buttons can be pushed to make sure

the necessary report goes to the required area.

The next stop was the warning

area, which is where specific severe weather warnings are generated. An

operator picks an area on a map and the text of that warning is generated

and sent via computer to the weather radio. The operator can look for

specific things to narrow the search and also links with the local authorities

and their information as well as information from amateur radio operators

and volunteers in the field who give a first hand account of the area

that is being affected.

During severe weather, there

are typically two amateur radio volunteers at the branch. One operator

will take the information and the other will get the information out to

other areas. There are several types of radios on hand and one radio can

go worldwide. One one occasion, it was even known to reach the South Pole.

Their information is very thorough and by establishing a network of volunteers

in seemingly every area, their data can chart everything from their current

position to what time a gust of wind hit. Their website, www.georgiaskywarn.com,

can give more information and allow citizens another place to chart weather.

The next stop on the tour was

the Southeast River Forecast Center, which is the second half of the National

Weather Service. They cover an area that includes all rivers East of Mobile

Bay and stretches from some parts of Virginia to Puerto Rico and as far

west as Mississippi. They measure all rainfall in that area through the

use of rain gages, 1,500 in the Southeast, and radar. Their job is important

because not only can they tell when areas are in danger of flash flooding

but they can also predict river floods.

Outside of the tour, visitors

also got a chance to see a weather balloon. Weather balloons are released

every 12 hours in over 1,000 locations. They rise 1,000 feet per second

and burst at 90,000 feet. A parachute guarantees a soft landing for instrumentation

inside and the weather balloon can give detailed atmospheric information.

The weather balloons are used in conjunction with radars to give the staff

at the National Weather Service the information needed to give the public

the weather.

As for what the winter holds

weather wise for Georgians, Rothfusz stated that unlike other years, there

are no indications either way this year. "This is not an El Nino

or La Nina year. It is pretty even and that makes a long range forecast

more difficult."

For naysayers out there who

think that meteorologists are often wrong, when asked about the weather

for Sunday, the day after the tour, Rothfusz guaranteed rain. He was right.

Back

to News Home Page |