Service Change Notice

NOUS41 KWBC 051509
PNSWSH           
 
Service Change Notice 13-19
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
1010 AM EST Tue Mar 5 2013
 
To:      Subscribers:
         -Family of Services 
         -NOAA Weather Wire Service
         -Emergency Manager Weather Information Network
         -NOAAPORT
         Other NWS partners and NWS employees
 
From:    Mark Tew
         Chief, Marine and Coastal Services Branch 
 
Subject: Elimination of the Tropical Cyclone Position Estimate
         Product with the information provided in the
         Tropical Cyclone Update Product Effective May 15, 2013     
         
Effective May 15, 2013, the Tropical Cyclone Position Estimate
(TCE) product issued by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) and
Central Pacific Hurricane Center (CPHC) will be terminated. The
information previously provided in the TCE will be provided in
the Tropical Cyclone Update (TCU) product.
 
Effective June 26, 2013, the TCE product issued by WFO Guam will
be terminated. The information previously provided in the TCE
will be provided in a new TCU product issued by WFO Guam.
 
The TCE provides information regarding the center location of a
tropical cyclone when it nears the coast and the center can be
easily tracked with land-based radar. In recent years, the TCU
was modified and now can include a summary block that conveys not
only the storm's center location but also other key parameters. 
The TCU's summary block now contains all of the information
previously conveyed in the TCE, so there is no longer a need for
the TCE. In those situations where a TCE would have been issued,
the NWS will issue a TCU instead. Substituting the TCU for the
TCE provides the same continuous flow of information with the
advantage of a fixed, easily decoded format within a single
product.
 
The WMO headers and AWIPS IDs that will be discontinued are as
follows:
 
Basin                      WMO Header         AWIPS ID
Atlantic                   WTNT/51-55/ KNHC   TCEAT/1-5/
Eastern Pacific            WTPZ/51-55/ KNHC   TCEEP/1-5/
Central Pacific            WTPA/51-55/ KHFO   TCECP/1-5/
Western North Pacific      WTPQ/51-55/ PGUM   TCEPQ/1-5/
 
The WMO headers and AWIPS IDs for the TCU products issued by NHC
and CPHC will remain unchanged and are as follows: 
 
Basin                      WMO Header         AWIPS ID
Atlantic                   WTNT/61-65/ KNHC   TCUAT/1-5/
Eastern Pacific            WTPZ/61-55/ KNHC   TCUEP/1-5/
Central Pacific            WTPA/61-55/ KHFO   TCUCP/1-5/
 
Currently WFO Guam does not issue TCU products but effective June
26, 2013, it will have the capability.  The following new WMO
Headers and AWIPS IDs will be used by WFO Guam when issuing a TCU
product: 
 
Basin                      WMO Header         AWIPS ID
Western North Pacific      WTPQ/61-65/ PGUM   TCUPQ/1-5/
 
Partners and users will need to update their system(s) to receive
TCU products from WFO Guam.
 
If you have comments or questions please contact:
 
    John Kuhn
    National Weather Service
    Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
    John.F.Kuhn@noaa.gov
    301-713-1677 extension 121
 
National Service Change Notices are online at:
 
     http://www.weather.gov/om/notif.htm
 
$$