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000
NOUS41 KWBC 161700
PNSWSH

Service Change Notice 24-42
National Weather Service Headquarters Silver Spring MD
100 PM EDT Tue Apr 16 2024

To:  Subscribers:
  -NOAA Weather Wire Service
  -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
  -NOAAPort
  Other NWS Partners, Users and Employees

From:  Marina Timofeyeva, Chief
  Climate Services Branch

Subject:  The “Rapid Onset Drought” Hazard Type Within the 8- to
14-Day
  Hazards Outlook (Contiguous U.S. and Alaska) Will
Transition to
  Operational Status, Effective May 16, 2024

Effective May 16, 2024, the “Rapid Onset Drought” hazard type
within the
8- to 14-Day Hazards Outlook (Contiguous U.S. and Alaska) will
transition
from experimental to operational status.

The Rapid Onset Drought hazard type uses initial conditions, such as
antecedent dryness, and skillful temperature and precipitation
outlooks
during the next 2 weeks to communicate the risk of rapidly developing
drought during the next 2-4 weeks.

Following positive feedback received in 2022 and 2023, Rapid Onset
Drought
areas will continue to be identified and updated once per week on
Thursday, coinciding with the issuance of the U.S. Drought Monitor
that
serves as the basis for subsequent verification. Interim updates to
the
areas of Rapid Onset Drought will occur only to ensure consistent
messaging in the case of a large change in forecast information; such
updates will only be made on Mondays.

Please see the NWS Product Description Document (PDD) for more
details:

https://nsdesk.servicenowservices.com/api/g_noa/nwspc/res2/6edd09201b
68c61
0ee15a7dbe54bcbc9

The CPC issues the Week-2 U.S. Hazards Outlook at the following
website,
which also includes links to Geographic Information System (GIS) data
files:

https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/threats/threats.ph
p

When included in the Week-2 U.S. Hazards Outlook, Rapid Onset Drought
areas will be included in the current “soils” ArcGIS shapefile.




For questions or comments regarding this product, please contact:

Jon Gottschalck
Chief, Operational Prediction Branch
NWS – NCEP - Climate Prediction Center
College Park, MD
jon.gottschalck@noaa.gov

National Service Change Notices are online at:

https://www.weather.gov/notification