The following are links to the FY25 requested budget by NOAA (Blue Book, Congressional Justification)

https://friendsofnoaa.earth/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NOAA_Blue_Book_FY25_Budget_Summary.pdf

https://friendsofnoaa.earth/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/NOAA_FY25_Congressional_Justification.pdf

Read the full FoNOAA letter sent to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

https://friendsofnoaa.earth/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Friends-of-NOAA-FY25-Appropriations-Request.pdf

On May 1, 2024, Friends of NOAA released its FY25 NOAA budget request for NOAA, which exceeds the administration’s budget request. Critical infrastructure, observations and resilience programs at NOAA are in need of robust funding during a time when the country faces more billion dollar disasters on an annualized basis.

Please find the full letter here.

https://friendsofnoaa.earth/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Friends-of-NOAA-FY25-Appropriations-Request.pdf

At BAE Systems, our dedication shows in everything we do to provide our customers world-class instruments, spacecraft, tactical hardware, and discriminating capabilities for civil, commercial, aerospace and defense applications. As a proven partner with a rich legacy of innovation, our skilled people are pioneering inventions and technologies to defend our national security, protect our uniformed service members, and contribute to the prosperity and sustainability of our local communities, our planet, and beyond.

From the National Hurricane Center on “X” (formerly Twitter); April 11,2024

The National Hurricane Center is updating products and services for the upcoming 2024 hurricane season, including the following:

1) Spanish language advisory text products
NHC will expand its offering of Spanish language text products to include all Public Advisories, the Tropical Cyclone Discussion, the Tropical Cyclone Update, and Key Messages in the Atlantic basin, and the Public Advisory, the Tropical Cyclone Discussion, the Tropical Cyclone Update, Key Messages, and the Tropical Weather Outlook in the eastern Pacific basin. These products will be issued experimentally in 2024 and will use AI techniques tested in 2023.

2) Issuance of U.S. watches and warnings on Intermediate advisories:
In order to allow for additional flexibilities for the issuance of U.S. tropical storm, hurricane, and storm surge watches and warnings, the NHC/NWS will now have the ability to issue those watches and warnings on Intermediate advisories. Previously, tropical storm, hurricane, and storm surge watches and warnings could only be issued for the United States on full or special advisory packages. Full advisory packages are issued at 5 AM, 11 AM, 5 PM, and 11 PM EDT. Beginning in 2024, NHC will be able to issue U.S. tropical cyclone watches and warnings with regular or intermediate Public advisories.

3) Extension of tropical storm (39 mph, 34 kt) and 58 mph, 50 kt)) wind radii
forecasts to days 4 and 5:
NHC is extending its tropical storm 39 mph (34 kt) and 58 mph (50 kt) wind radii forecasts to days 4 (96 hours) and 5 (120 hours) in the NHC Forecast/Advisory (TCM) in 2024. Previously, NHC has provided these forecasts out to 3 days (72 hours). Hurricane-force (64-kt) wind radii will continue to be provided out to 2 days (48 hours).

4) Weblinks in the Public Advisory:
The Tropical Cyclone Public Advisory (TCP) product will include, as needed, a reference to websites that provide pertinent graphical hazard information beginning with the 2024 hurricane season. The weblinks are intended to help reduce the length of the TCP product and to direct the focus to the most significant and impactful storm surge and rainfall hazards and areas.

5) Change to the time zone reference in the eastern Pacific:
Beginning on or about May 15, 2024, the time zone of reference for most eastern Pacific tropical cyclone forecast products will change. Most of Mexico no longer observes Daylight Saving Time, therefore Central Standard and Mountain Standard time will be used in lieu of Daylight Saving Time within those two time zones. Since Daylight Time is used within portions of Baja California and the southwestern United States, Pacific Daylight Time will continue to be used within that time zone when Daylight Saving Time is observed.

6) Experimental Cone Graphic with a depiction of inland watches and warnings for the United States:
Beginning on or around August 15, 2024, NHC will begin issuing an experimental version of the cone graphic that includes a depiction of inland tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings in effect for the continental United States. The experimental cone graphic will be available on hurricanes.gov for both full and intermediate advisories. The current operational cone graphic will continue to be available, and there will be no changes with respect to how watches and warnings are displayed on that graphic (i.e., only coastal watches/warnings will be depicted).

7) Experimental international tropical cyclone rainfall graphics:
The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) in partnership with the NHC will issue an experimental rainfall graphic for the Caribbean and Central America during the 2024 hurricane season. This graphic provides a display of forecast rainfall totals associated with a tropical cyclone or disturbance for a specified time period, based on forecaster discretion. The graphic will allow for enhanced communication of the expected rainfall to external partners, media, and the general public. The product will be publicly available via hurricanes.gov whenever there is an active tropical cyclone or potential tropical cyclone in the region with a rainfall statement in the Public Advisory.

8) Annual update to the track forecast error cone:
The size of the tropical cyclone track forecast error cone for the Atlantic basin will be about that same through 48 h but slightly larger from 60 h through day 5 as compared to 2023. For the eastern North Pacific basin, it will also be similar in size to the 20232 cone through 60 h, and slightly larger at days 3 through 5.

9) New Marine Forecast Product “Offshore Waters Forecast for the southwestern North Atlantic Ocean”:
The current Offshore Waters Forecast for the Southwest and Tropical North Atlantic and Caribbean Sea issued by the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) of the National Hurricane Center will be divided into two new products beginning Tuesday, March 26, 2024 by 1030 AM EDT (1430 UTC). The new Offshore Waters Forecast product will consist of all the Atlantic zones currently north of 19N and be named “Offshore Waters Forecast for SW N Atlantic Ocean” (WMO ID/AWIPS ID FZNT25/MIAOFFNT5). The remaining zones in the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic waters south of 19N will comprise the newly re-configured “Offshore Waters Forecast for the Caribbean Sea and Tropical N Atlantic” (WMO ID/AWIPS ID FZNT23/MIAOFFNT3).

For more information:

NHC_Updates_2024.pdf (noaa.gov)

From NOAA’s Office of Communications (March 13, 2024)

As announced at the NWS Partners Meeting at the American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD during January 2024, the National Weather Service (NWS) is implementing a plan to make the agency more flexible. Information about NWS Transformation objectives and activities can be found at the following web address:

NWS Priorities & Action Strategies for the Future — “Ken’s 10” | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (noaa.gov)

NWS Priorities & Action Strategies for the Future — “Ken’s 10”

Transforming the NWS into a more nimble, flexible, and mobile agency that works eye-to-eye with critical decision-makers in building a more Weather-Ready and Climate-Ready Nation.

The National Weather Service (NWS) Priorities & Action Strategies for the Future – more fondly known throughout the NWS as “Ken’s 10”, named after NWS Director Ken Graham – are designed to ensure that the NWS remains an indispensable, global leader in providing equitable weather, water, and climate services to decision-makers anytime, anywhere. Taking on ten key initiatives at a time, Ken’s 10 is building a workplace focused on the health and well-being of the NWS’ people, infrastructure, and future.

About

When NWS Director Ken Graham began his tenure in June of 2022, he embarked on a series of conversations with employees that highlighted a major opportunity for the NWS to pioneer a more nimble, flexible, and mobile agency. These conversations inspired the creation of ten priority initiatives titled “The NWS Priorities & Action Strategies for the Future,” designed to build an NWS that provides decision support services when, how, and where they’re needed to create a more Weather-Ready and Climate-Ready Nation.

The NWS Priorities & Action Strategies for the Future serve three overarching themes: People, Infrastructure, and Future, as outlined by the NWS Strategic Plan 2023-2033 and Transformation Roadmap, and they focus resources and attention on common issues, clarify common goals, and acknowledge areas that need concentrated problem-solving and decision-making.

These change initiatives are not inclusive of all the important work happening across NWS, nor are they meant to cover the breadth of all NWS mission areas or the NWS projects underway and on a path to delivering results.

How it Works

Behind each initiative is a designated team of experts and leaders from across the NWS tasked with carrying the project from inception to final execution. When one project finishes, another will take its place, ensuring that there are always ten in “Ken’s 10.” Learn more about ongoing and completed projects below.

If you’re interested in learning more about the NWS Priorities & Action Strategies for the Future, please don’t hesitate to contact NWS Partnership Engagement Lead Cindy Elsenheimer or NWS Director of Change Management Richard Antoine.

Friends of NOAA (FoNOAA) was present at the recent American Meteorological Society’s Annual Meeting, held January 29-February 1, 2024 in Baltimore, MD.  FoNOAA member organizations showcased their work and ties to the meteorological community, including intersections and arcs with NOAA.  In the Exhibit Hall, there were FoNOAA table top cards at several booths.  A big “thanks” to member institutions for promoting FoNOAA at AMS.  These interactions at AMS and other FoNOAA events are all part of FoNOAA leadership’s effort to broaden ties between FoNOAA and NOAA at all levels — which we believe will foster greater understanding of NOAA’s mission, and outline areas where FoNOAA can have meaningful impact. 

NOAA has released information about the 2023 Arctic Report Card that can be found at:

Report Card 2023 – NOAA Arctic.

ARCTIC ESSAYS

More frequent extreme weather and climate events are transforming the Arctic, yet resiliency and opportunity lie within diverse partnerships

The Arctic is increasingly warmer, less frozen, and wetter, with regional extremes in weather, climate patterns, and ecosystem responses. Centering locally and internationally-focused partnerships, long-term observations, and equitable climate solutions provides Arctic communities and nations as well as society-at-large with information and mechanisms to cope with a rapidly changing Arctic.

In the air

• Average surface air temperatures for the Arctic in the past year were the sixth warmest since 1900.
• Summer surface air temperatures were the warmest on record.
• Summer high-pressure systems brought warm temperatures, widespread melting, and exceptional rainfall volumes across the Greenland Ice Sheet.

In the ocean

• Sea ice extent continues to decline, with the last 17 September extents (2007-23) as the lowest on record. Sea ice extent was 6th lowest in the satellite record, since 1979.
• August mean sea surface temperatures show continued warming trends for 1982-2023 in almost all Arctic Ocean regions that are ice-free in August. Mean sea surface temperature over regions between 65° N and 80° N is increasing at a rate of ~0.9°F (~0.5°C) per decade.
• Arctic regions, except for the Chukchi Sea, Beaufort Sea, and Canadian Archipelago, continue to show increased ocean phytoplankton blooms, or ocean primary productivity, with the largest percent change in the Eurasian Arctic and Barents Sea.
• Since the end of the Last Glacial Maximum, rising sea levels have inundated terrestrial permafrost surrounding the Arctic Ocean, resulting in nearly 1 million square miles (~2.5 million square km) of subsea permafrost that is at risk of thawing. International research collaboration is needed to address critical questions regarding the extent and current state of subsea permafrost and to estimate the potential release of greenhouse gasses (carbon dioxide and methane) as it thaws.

On the land

• North American snow cover extent set a record low in May 2023, while snow accumulation during the 2022/23 winter was above average across both North America and Eurasia.
• Heavy precipitation events broke existing records at various locations across the Arctic and the Pan-Arctic precipitation for 2022-23 was the sixth highest on record.
• On 26 June 2023, Summit Station, Greenland reached 32.7°F (0.4°C) and experienced melt for only the fifth time in its 34-year observational history.
• The Greenland Ice Sheet lost roughly 350 trillion pounds (156 ± 22 Gt) of mass from 1 September 2022 to 31 August 2023 because discharge and melting exceeded accumulation.
• The 2023 circumpolar average peak tundra greenness, which is the overall vegetation, including plants, shrubs, and trees taking over grassland and tundra, as measured by satellite, was the third highest in the 24-year record.
• In Finland, peatland restoration and rewilding demonstrate a globally relevant climate solution of carbon sinks and point to a need for replication across impacted sites. Rewilding requires partnership, recognition of Indigenous and community rights, and the use of Indigenous knowledge alongside science to succeed and avoid replication of past inequities.

Nunaaqqit Savaqatigivlugich: Working with communities to observe the Arctic

• The Alaska Arctic Observatory and Knowledge Hub (AAOKH) works with a network of coastal Indigenous observers to document long-term and holistic observations of environmental change and impacts in northern Alaska.
• Recently, Indigenous observers have noted sea ice loss, warmer air and ocean temperatures, changing wind patterns, and increased intensity and frequency of coastal storms that contribute to flooding and erosion.
• Indigenous observers also document local-scale impacts of environmental changes to community and cultural infrastructure, traditional harvests and activities, and travel safety across the land and sea.
• Applying and centering Indigenous perspectives and observations of Arctic change in decision-making can lead to more inclusive, equitable, and community-led responses.

Divergent responses of western Alaska salmon to a changing climate

• Western Alaska salmon abundance reached historic extremes during 2021-22, with record lows for Chinook and chum salmon (81% and 92% below the 30-year mean, respectively) and record highs for sockeye salmon (98% above the 30-year mean).
• Salmon are maturing at smaller sizes. Since the 1970s, Yukon River Chinook salmon have decreased an estimated 6% in mean adult body length and 15% in fecundity, or ability to produce offspring, likely exacerbating population declines.
• Salmon population declines have led to fishery closures, worsened user conflicts, and had profound cultural and food security impacts in Indigenous communities that have been tied to salmon for millennia.
• Changes in salmon abundance and size are associated with climatic changes in freshwater and marine ecosystems and competition in the ocean. Changes in predators, food supply, and disease are also likely important drivers.

A recording of NOAA’s stakeholder briefing on the 2023 Arctic Report Card can be found at:

Arctic Report Card Stakeholder Briefing

From the NOAA Office of Organizational Excellence

Dear NWS Partners – 

Your collaboration is critical to our mission, and we want to keep you updated with the latest happenings at NOAA and the National Weather Service! Here are some recent noteworthy items we wanted to share:  

1. Transformation Roadmap for 2023 

Released earlier this year, the NWS Strategic Plan set the direction for becoming a more nimble, flexible, and mobile National Weather Service by 2033. On October 26th, NWS launched its Transformation Roadmap, outlining our path to achieving these strategic goals. 

Click to read the Transformation Roadmap

2. AI Language Translation Project

For the past 30 years, NOAA’s NWS has provided manual translations of weather forecasts and warnings into Spanish. Now, the agency has a new tool to provide more accurate, efficient, and equitable service.  

Through a series of pilot projects over the past few years, NWS forecasters have been training artificial intelligence (AI) software for weather, water, and climate terminology in Spanish and Simplified Chinese. This effort was supported by the House Appropriations Committee in NOAA’s fiscal year 2023 Congressional budget.

Click to read more about the AI Language Translation Project

3. Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5)

In case you missed it, the recording of NOAA’s National Climate Assessment Stakeholder Briefing is now available. This congressionally mandated, quadrennial report brings together hundreds of experts from federal, state, and local governments, as well as academic, non-profit, and private sectors. The report is a roadmap to a better future through science-based information, data, and real-world examples of ways to reduce greenhouse gas pollution and develop resilience strategies. 

Click here to view the full assessment. 

4. New Orleans Radar Relocation

The WSR-88D Radar located in Slidell, LA will be relocated to Hammond Airport by early 2024. 

The KLIX WSR-88D Radar move to Hammond, Louisiana will provide a drastic improvement in radar scanning strategies for areas of southeastern Louisiana that currently have poorer radar coverage.

Click here to read more about the WSR-88D radar relocation

5. RFI to Inform National Plan for Civil Earth Observations

A request for information (RFI) posted on the Federal Register last week. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requests public input and seeks information from stakeholders to inform the development of the congressionally mandated National Plan for Civil Earth Observations.

Click here to view the RFI and provide comments on the first draft of the 2023 National Plan.

6. Winter Campaign

The NWS Winter Safety Campaign officially launches today! Developed by the NWS Communications Division, the campaign consists of social media graphics, videos, and more to help build a Weather-Ready Nation. 

We encourage all NWS partners to use and share this content as appropriate. Most of the campaign content can be found on the Winter Safety website. This public-facing website and its materials can be shared with anyone interested in messaging weather safety.

Click here to find all Winter Safety content so that you can spread the word!

7. See you in January!

Stay tuned for a Save the Date message for the NWS Partner Engagement Event at the 104th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD!

Thank you for your partnerships and have a great weekend!

Cindy Elsenheimer
Partnership Engagement Lead, NWS Office of Organizational Excellence