The Mission Statement
National Weather Service

The National Weather Service (NWS), under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Commerce (DOC), is responsible for providing weather service to the nation. It is charged with the responsibility of observing and reporting the weather and with issuing forecasts and warnings of weather and floods in the interest of national safety and economy.

Briefly, the priorities for service to the nation are:

1. protection of life,

2. protection of property, and

3. promotion of the nation's welfare and economy.

To provide the above services, the National Weather Service must develop cooperative relationships with a variety of users. These users include the general public, the aviation community, and mariners to name a few.

A strong cooperative arrangement between the NWS and local school districts is essential to ensure that students and teachers are informed and prepared to take action when severe weather threatens. The information in this guide will assist you in using NWS products to develop a severe weather emergency plan for your school.

What to Expect From this Guide

The purpose of this guide is to provide assistance to school administrators and teachers in designing a severe weather emergency plan for their school. While not every possible situation is covered by the guide, it will provide enough information to serve as a starting point and a general outline of actions to take. The majority of material focuses on thunderstorms and the hazards these storms produce - lightning, hail, tornadoes, and flash floods. We have also included a section on the risks of winter weather. To ensure safety, actions must be taken quickly. This will become more apparent in Section 1, "Severe Weather: Understanding Your Risks and the Importance of a Plan".

Once you comprehend the scope of the problem, you can begin to address how to reduce the potential hazards. Sections 2 and 3 of this guide, "Designing Your Severe Weather Emergency Plan" and "Designing Your Winter Weather Emergency Plan", detail more specifically how to get your weather information, how teachers and students can be alerted to the emergency, and what actions under what circumstances should be taken to reduce the danger. Safety is always the foremost concern. The ultimate goal is to quickly inform teachers and students anywhere on the school grounds of the threat of severe weather and to move them as quickly as possible to pre-designated shelters. These sections also discuss school bus driver actions in severe weather.

For any plan to work efficiently, it must be practiced!! Schools should conduct semi-annual exercises and severe weather safety instruction should be a part of these exercises. It is important to understand why certain actions are being taken, to know the weather terms that are being used, and to know what visual clues can signal you to potential dangers ahead.

The appendices in this guide are loaded with reference materials to assist you in both designing your plan and gathering educational materials for severe and winter weather instruction. There is a NWS products list, a glossary of weather terms, a listing of safety tips for the various types of weather hazards (not just thunderstorms). A listing of NOAA Weather Radio stations that broadcast across central New York and Northeast Pennsylvania can be found here.

Choosing a Severe Weather Coordinator

Before you begin, it is recommended that one person be designated as the "Severe Weather Coordinator". This person may be a teacher or administrator with an interest in weather, who is willing to attend local NWS spotter training programs (no fees). The coordinator will be responsible for developing the plan and working with the local school board, administrators, and teachers to implement the plan. To ensure a successful plan, it is imperative that the coordinator has the support and active involvement of both the school board and the school administration.

To find out more about NWS spotter training, contact your local National Weather Service Forecast Office, or click here.