NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
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The National Weather Service (NWS) is a federal agency that has been and will continue to be a service to all citizens of the United States. This agency has excelled in finding approaches to bring quality and prestige into doing their business.
Due to the capriciousness of atmospheric dynamics, accuracy is very difficult and seldom achieved. The Weather Service is always at the "ragged" edge of criticism when they attempt to predict and to forecast the future actions of weather. Even with "state-of-the-art" electronic surveillance equipment and experienced personnel, the art of weather forecasting is still "50% Art and 50% Science".
However, to personnel involved in Emergency Preparedness around the United States (and the world !), the Weather Service is a "Godsend" when you consider the alternatives of attempting to "self predict". The NWS personnel work exceptionally long hours using all their available resources to ASSIST local jurisdictions in preparing and mitigating for and responding to natural weather phenomena. They give us "lead-time" to locally warn our citizens of impending danger.
They issue watches and warnings on sometimes meager information, knowing that they may be correct 80% of the time. That takes exceptional people doing an exceptional job ! Criticism is not justified nor acceptable.
The NWS is involved in educating the public and many community groups in the techniques of SKYWARN and severe weather spotting, hurricane preparedness, river forecasting and flooding and continued support for local programs. Amateur Radio operators, local RACES groups and citizens are very important to the NWS through the weather spotter program. These people verify (and sometimes do not verify !) what the NWS is observing on their radar screen. This direct interplay of resources calibrates the observations and hones experience.
Commentary provided by Polk County Office of Emergency Management.
Houston/Galveston NWS Home Page