2020 National Winter Season Operations Plan
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH National Winter Season Operations Plan FCM-P13-2020 Lorem ipsum Washington, DC July 2020 Cover Image: AR Recon tracks (AFRC/53 WRS WC-130J aircraft) from 24 February 2019 on GOES-17 water vapor imagery (warm colors delineate dry air and white/green colors delineate cold clouds). White and brown icons indicate dropsondes. The red arrow indicates the AR axis. FEDERAL COORDINATOR FOR METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES AND SUPPORTING RESEARCH 1325 East-West Highway, SSMC2 Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 301-628-0112 NATIONAL WINTER SEASON OPERATIONS PLAN FCM-P13-2020 Washington, D.C. July 31, 2020 Change and Review Log Use this page to record changes and notices of reviews. Change Page Date| Initial Number Numbers Posted 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Review Comments Initial Date iv Foreword The purpose of the National Winter Season Operations Plan (NWSOP) is to coordinate the efforts of the Federal meteorological community to provide enhanced weather observations of severe Winter Storms impacting the coastal regions of the United States. This plan focuses on the coordination of requirements for winter season reconnaissance observations provided by the Air Force Reserve Command's (AFRC) 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (53 WRS) and NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center (AOC). The goal is to improve the accuracy and timeliness of severe winter storm forecasts and warning services provided by the Nation's weather service organizations. These forecast and warning responsibilities are shared by the National Weather Service (NWS), within the Department of Commerce (DOC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); and the weather services of the United States Air Force (USAF) and the United States Navy (USN) , within the Department of Defense (DOD). Within the organizational infrastructure of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM), the Working Group for Winter Season Operations (WG/WSO) is responsible for maintaining the plan. This year marks the 35th edition of the National Winter Season Operations Plan (NWSOP). The national winter season mission is a team effort, and as we strive to be a “Weather-Ready Nation,” the effective coordination of the Federal agencies involved, local emergency managers, and others help, through improved forecast and warning services, to protect lives and property and reduce our Nation’s vulnerability to these high-impact events. //SIGNED// David L. Chorney, Executive Secretary Working Group for Winter Season Operations and Research v Table of Contents Change and Review Log .......................................................................................... iv Foreword ....................................................................................................................v Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .......................................................................................................... ix List of Tables .............................................................................................................x Chapter 1 Responsibilities of Cooperating Agencies ................................................ 1 1.1. General. ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1.1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service. ....... 3 1.1.2. U.S. Navy (USN). ......................................................................................................... 3 1.1.3. U.S. Air Force (USAF). ................................................................................................ 3 1.2. Responsibilities. ................................................................................................................... 3 1.2.1. The Department of Commerce (DOC). ........................................................................ 3 1.2.2. The Department of Defense (DOD). ............................................................................. 4 1.2.3. Department of Transportation (DOT)/Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). ......... 5 1.2.4. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). ....................... 5 2.1. General. ................................................................................................................................ 6 2.2. Responsibilities. ................................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1. DOD. ............................................................................................................................. 6 2.2.2. DOC. ............................................................................................................................. 7 2.2.3. Department of Transportation (DOT). .......................................................................... 7 2.3. Reconnaissance Requirements. ............................................................................................ 7 2.3.1. Meteorological Parameters. .......................................................................................... 7 2.3.2. Accuracy. ...................................................................................................................... 7 2.3.2.1. Wind Direction. .......................................................................................................... 7 2.3.3. RECCO and Dropsonde Data Requirements. ............................................................... 9 2.3.4. High-Density/High-Accuracy (HD/HA) Data Requirements. ...................................... 9 2.3.5. Radar Data Requirements. .......................................................................................... 10 2.3.6. Observational Frequency. ........................................................................................... 10 2.4. Reconnaissance Planning and Flight Notification. ............................................................ 11 2.4.1. DOC Requests for Aircraft Reconnaissance Data. ..................................................... 11 vi 2.4.2. Winter Season Plan of the Day (WSPOD). ................................................................ 13 2.5. Reconnaissance Effectiveness Criteria. ............................................................................. 17 2.5.1. General. ....................................................................................................................... 17 2.5.3. Summaries. .................................................................................................................. 18 2.6. Aerial Reconnaissance Weather Encoding, Reporting, and Coordination. ....................... 20 2.6.1. Mission Coordination. ................................................................................................. 20 2.6.2. Post-flight Debriefing. ................................................................................................ 20 2.6.3. Aerial Reconnaissance Abbreviated Communications Headings. .............................. 20 2.6.4. Mission Identifier. ....................................................................................................... 20 2.6.5. Observation Numbering. ............................................................................................. 21 2.6.6. Corrections to Observations. ....................................................................................... 23 2.7. Operational Flight Patterns. ............................................................................................... 23 2.7.1. Customized Tracks. ..................................................................................................... 23 2.7.2. Predetermined Tracks. ................................................................................................ 24 2.8. Aircraft Reconnaissance Communications. ....................................................................... 24 2.8.1. General. ....................................................................................................................... 24 2.8.2. Backup Air-to-Ground Communications. ................................................................... 25 2.8.3. Backup CARCAH Procedures. ................................................................................... 26 Chapter 3 Aircraft Operations ..................................................................................28 3.1. Mission Coordination. ....................................................................................................... 28 3.1.1. Administration ............................................................................................................ 28 3.1.4. FAA Coordination. ..................................................................................................... 31 3.2. Mission Execution. ............................................................................................................ 32 3.2.1. Aircrew Responsibilities. ............................................................................................ 32 3.2.2 Airspace. ...................................................................................................................... 33 3.2.3.