NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAUNCHES
NEW LOCAL THREE-MONTH TEMPERATURE OUTLOOK

Jan. 17, 2007 — In response to customer demand for climate information at the local level, the NOAA National Weather Service launched a new local three-month temperature outlook product for the continental United States. (Click NOAA image for larger view of three-month temperature outlook for the Baltimore/Washington region for January-February-March 2007. Please credit “NOAA.”)

"The mission of the NOAA National Weather Service, in addition to saving lives and property, is to enhance the national economy," said Brig. Gen. David. L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), director of the NOAA National Weather Service. "This product allows individuals and businesses to have reliable information to make important economic decisions."

Easily accessed on the Internet, the local three-month temperature outlook extends the NOAA Climate Prediction Center's national three-month temperature outlook to specific local sites, providing probabilistic forecasts of the average daily mean temperatures for 13 consecutive overlapping three-month periods (e.g.: January-February-March, February-March-April). It is available for approximately 1,150 sites nationwide. The information is released on the third Thursday of every month.

The benefits of the local three-month temperature outlook include:

• Extension of the national outlook to the local level
• Higher resolution outlooks with more detail
• Multiple formats to accommodate a wide range of user needs
• Helpful tools to assist users with interpretation

"The local three-month temperature outlook products are valuable tools to aid decision-makers in managing risks and opportunities at the regional and local level," said Robert E. Livezey, chief of climate services, for the NOAA National Weather Service. "Our customers want more localized climate forecasts, and we are responding to those demands." (Click NOAA image for larger view of three-month temperature outlook pie chart for the Baltimore/Washington region for January-February-March 2007. Please credit “NOAA.”)

The local three-month temperature outlook is presented in three graphical formats. Pie charts are the most basic, while the temperature range graphs and probability of exceedance curves are more complex. A link to an outlook evaluation tool also is included for an evaluation of forecast accuracy. There also is a link to a user survey.

The local three-month temperature outlook can be accessed from all NOAA National Weather Service forecast office Web pages by selecting the "Climate Prediction" tab. It also can be accessed directly, either by clicking on the area of interest or using the search function below the map. Every "local outlook" page features a map showing the stations for which forecasts are available in the local weather forecast office area.

NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA National Weather Service Local Three-month Temperature Outlook

NOAA National Weather Service

NOAA Weather Portal

Media Contact:
Dennis Feltgen, NOAA National Weather Service, (301) 713-0622 ext. 127