News
NOAA
says come in
Federal Facility holding Open house
By Elizabeth Prata
Gray--Anybody visiting the National Atmospheric and
Oceanographic Administration offices on the hill in
East Gray the last time it was open to the public
would have seen meteorologists manually typing out
the forecasts. Now, almost ten years later, as the
NOAA office prepares to host another Open House, the
inside of this high-tech federal facility looks like,
well, a high-tech federal facility.
The clean, organized, temperature controlled room
is quiet, except for the hum of air conditioning and
low murmurs from forecasters. A bank of four flat
screen monitors face each forecaster at his or her
station. There are three main stations, the short
term, long term, and hydro meteorological stations.
John Jensenius is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist
and he has his own station, too. The operating system,
sophisticated and powerful, is called the Advanced
Weather Informational Processing System, or AWIPS.
The system allows each forecaster to assess literally
hundreds of variables that go into creating each forecast.
Above, Jensenius tracking Ophelia. Tha Monument: Prata
photo
Forecasters look at dew point, temperature, humidity,
precipitation, and much more. On one screen, the recent
3,000 lightning strikes over Wisconsin glowed in green.
On another, the high-resolution black and white screen
showed details of Tropical Storm Ophelia spinning
of the Georgia-Carolina border.
There are two NOAA facilities in Maine, the one in
Gray and the other in Caribou. The Gray station looks
at weather conditions and creates forecasts for southern,
western, eastern Maine and most of New Hampshire.
"Hundreds of graphical forecasts go into making
one 7-day forecast," Mr. Jensenius said.
Observations are fed to Washington, DC and computer
models are created, designed to simulate the atmosphere.
There may be several models returned to the forecaster,
who again assesses them and eventually makes a decision
on what the weather will likely be. "We are required
to set a forecast out to seven days," Mr. Jensenius
said, "though the further out from the present
the less precise our language."
Mr. Jensenius showed Ophelia's track over three different
models. Two showed the storm sitting off the Carolina
border and spinning, the other showed her tracking
northeast over the Atlantic and passing south of the
Canadian Maritimes. "Our forecasters do not predict
hurricanes, that is done in Miami at the Tropical
Prediction Center, though if the storm is likely to
take a path that affects local weather, Gray forecasters
will work with the Miami staff," Mr. Jensenius
said.
The public is welcome to come and see the facility
for themselves, on Saturday, September 17 from 9-3.
The public will be welcomed and taken to a conference
room where they will view a video. Then they can come
into the Operations area, talk with forecasters, view
the computer system, and learn how forecasts are generated.
Outside, the visitors will learn about the weather
instruments that are used, such as weather balloons.
Below, the Operations Room. NOAA photo.
So when you plan your picnic, think of the Operations
room in the Gray NOAA facility and the forecasters
managing hundreds of variables, hunched over screen
after screen as they decide how the weather will impact
folks in our forecast area. Better yet, stop in to
the facility on Satruday and see for your self.
NOAA
to open facility to public
NOAA's
National Weather Service Forecast Office in Gray,
Maine will host an Open House for the public on Saturday,
September 17, 2005, between the hours of 9 a.m. and
3 p.m. The Gray office currentlyprovides weather forecasts
and warnings for northern, central, and
southeastern New Hampshire and southern and western
Maine, including the mid coast area.
The office has been located at its present site in
Gray since September 1994. Prior to September 1994,
the office was located at the Portland Jetport. The
move was part of a national program to modernize and
restructure the field operations of the National Weather
Service.
The Open House will include tours of the facility
and give the public an opportunity to learn more about
the operations of the National Weather Service in
Maine and New Hampshire. During the open house, visitors
will have the opportunity to view some of the latest
technologies and information available to forecasters,
including the state-of-the-art Advanced Weather Information
Processing System and the WSR-88D Doppler RADAR.
The National Weather Service facility is located north
of Portland, Maine in the easternmost corner of the
town of Gray, on State Route 231 (just south of Pineland
Farms).
From the Maine Turnpike (I-95): use Exit 63 (Gray)
and turn right onto Route 115. Follow Route 115 east
approximately 2 miles, then turn left onto Depot Road.
Follow Depot Road for approximately 3 miles, then
turn right onto Route 231. Follow Route 231 south
approximately one quarter mile to the National Weather
Service Forecast Office. The Forecast Office is located
in a red brick building on Weather Lane on the right
hand side of the road just after the Pineland Equestrian
Center.
From Interstate 295: For northbound traffic, use Yarmouth
Exit 15. For southbound traffic use Yarmouth Exit
17. From either exit, turn right onto Route 1. Follow
Route 1 to the turnoff for Route 115 (Main
Street). Follow Route 115 west for approximately 6
miles to a flashing yellow traffic light, and proceed
straight through the light onto Route 231. Follow
Route 231 north for approximately 4 miles to the National
Weather Service Forecast Office. The Forecast Office
is located in a red brick building on Weather Lane
on the left hand side of the road just prior to the
Pineland Equestrian Center. Please park on Weather
Lane. Due to limited space for parking, visitors are
encouraged to carpool.
For additional information about the Open House, please
visit our web site at: http://weather.gov/gyx or call
our office at (207) 688-3216 between the hours of
8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
