BOX is the 3 letter identifier for the National Weather Service Forecast Office at Taunton, MA. What's in the BOX? was a popular venu at the NWS 1994 Open House. The venue consisted of a video tour of the office and a talk about what we do here in Taunton. In our newsletter version we hope to give you an idea of what goes on at the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Taunton, plus what is being planned for the future and how these plans are proceeding. Log for future What's in the BOX? comumns in WE to read about what's new and what's happening with the scientists and technicians who work at the BOX.

The National Weather Service (NWS) facility in Taunton, MA contains two offices. Our building houses the Southern New England Weather Forecast Office and the office of the NWS Northeast River Forecast Center (NERFC). Each office provides differing but at times co-dependent services. Both of us share and use your data daily. This article is about the Taunton Weather Forecast Office (WFO or The BOX) and the products and services issued by the 22 Meteorologists and Technicians who work here.  The companion article on the following page is about our sister office - the NERFC. The two offices are supported area. Additional hydrological information and services are provided by the Northeast River Forecast Center.

The Taunton Forecast Office issues public warning and forecasts for 35 zones that comprise 23 counties across much of Southern New England and nearby New Hampshire. Warnings are issued for a wide range of phenomena that include tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, flash floods, coastal floods, high winds, and winter storms. Public forecasts range from the next couple of hours to the next 7 days.
by an in-house 5 man electronics staff - Purveyors of Quality Solutions.

The NWS Forecast Office operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to provide a wide range of weather services to the people who live, work, and vacation in Southern New England. We provide weather and hydrological warnings and forecast services for most of Massachusetts, much of northern Connecticut, all of Rhode Island, and parts of southern New Hampshire. Besides public weather services, the office in Taunton provides marine, aviation, fire weather, and hydrological forecast services for the

The Taunton NWS Forecast Office Internet address is: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/er/box

Forecasts for major cities and marine forecasts can be obtained by phone by dialing: (508) 822 - 0634

Forecasts, warnings, and other products can be heard 24 hours a day on NOAA Weather Radio on the following frequencies for the following areas:

Boston, MA 162.475 MHz
Hartford, CT 162.475 MHz
Providence, RI 162.400 MHz
Worcester, MA 162.550 MHz
Marine forecasts, warnings, and coastal advisories for the coastal waters of Massachusetts and Rhode Island are also issued by the Forecast Office. The marine community, both commercial and recreational, are consumers of these services.

We also prepare aviation forecasts for eight airports in Southern New England, as well as a number of routes emanating from Logan Airport in Boston for the aviation community.

Our products are issued to the public and to the media via satellite, NOAA Weather        (Continued on page 8)
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