...TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION NOTICE...

TO: FAMILY OF SERVICES /FOS/ SUBSCRIBERS...
    NOAA WEATHER WIRE SERVICE /NWWS/ SUBSCRIBERS...
    EMERGENCY MANAGERS WEATHER INFORMATION NETWORK /EMWIN/
    SUBSCRIBERS...
    NOAAPORT SUBSCRIBERS...
    NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ PARTNERS AND OTHER USERS...
    AND NWS EMPLOYEES

FROM: PETER CORRIGAN...SERVICE HYDROLOGIST

SUBJECT: NEW DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENTS TO BE ISSUED BY NWS
         WEATHER FORECAST OFFICES BEGINNING JUNE 10 2008.

ON JUNE 10 2008...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BLACKSBURG WILL
BEGIN ISSUING...ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS...DROUGHT INFORMATION
STATEMENTS
/DGT/ FOR ITS AREA.

THE DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT /DGT/ WILL PROVIDE A UNIFIED
SUMMARY OF CURRENT DROUGHT SEVERITY...INDICES...DATA...IMPACTS...
FORECASTS...PRODUCTS AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION TO ENHANCE
THE ABILITY OF THE USERS TO FOCUS DROUGHT MITIGATION EFFORTS ON
AREAS OF THE GREATEST NEED. THE DGT WILL RESULT IN DISCONTINUANCE
OF USING THE HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK /ESFRNK/ FOR THIS PRODUCT. THE
DGT ESTABLISHES A NEW IDENTIFIER TO BE USED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS
PRODUCT.

THE GENERIC WMO HEADING AND AWIPS IDENTIFIER FOR THE DGT AT
WFO BLACKSBURG IS

    AXUS71 KRNK

THE AWIPS ID IS

    WBCDGTRNK

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON AWIPS ID AND WMO HEADINGS FOR DGTS
FROM OTHER NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICES...GO TO...

  HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/DM-CGI-BIN/CHGSHOW.PL?FN=DM03-08.10.TXT
  /LOWER CASE EXCEPT DM IN DM03-08.10 IS UPPER CASE/

IMPORTANT NOTE...USERS OF NWS PRODUCTS MUST UPDATE THEIR
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM DIRECTORIES TO RECEIVE THE NEW DGT PRODUCTS.

THE DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL INCLUDE THE SAME DROUGHT
INTENSITIES...AS INDICATED IN THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR...

  HTTP://DROUGHT.UNL.EDU/DM/MONITOR.HTML /USE LOWER CASE/

THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR WILL BE THE PRIMARY...BUT NOT NECESSARILY
THE ONLY...CRITERIA USED IN DETERMINING WHEN AN INITIAL DGT IS
ISSUED. AN INITIAL DGT WILL BE ISSUED WHEN...

1. THE U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR INDICATES A DROUGHT INTENSITY AT THE
   LEVEL OF D2 OR WORSE IN ANY PORTION OF THE WFO COUNTY WARNING
   AND FORECAST AREA... OR

2. A LESS SEVERE CRITERION IS REACHED...IF THIS IS MORE
   APPROPRIATE FOR LOCAL PARTNERS AND OTHER USERS. ALTERNATE
   CRITERIA FOR ISSUANCE OF INITIAL DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENTS
   MAY BE SPECIFIED IN CERTAIN REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY. ONCE AN
   INITIAL DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT HAS BEEN ISSUED A FOLLOW
   UP DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AT LEAST ONCE A
   MONTH. MORE FREQUENT ISSUANCE OF THE DROUGHT INFORMATION
   STATEMENT WILL OCCUR WHEN DROUGHT CONDITIONS CHANGE OR WHEN A
   LOCAL OR REGIONAL CRITERION HAS BEEN MET REQUIRING AN UPDATE.

LOCAL DROUGHT INFORMATION FOR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
BLACKSBURG CAN BE FOUND AT THE FOLLOWING WEB SITE...

WWW.ERH.NOAA.GOV/ER/RNK/

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...CONTACT

PETER CORRIGAN...SERVICE HYDROLOGIST...AT 540-552-1341

NWS SERVICE CHANGE NOTICES ARE ONLINE AT /USE LOWER CASE/

  HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/OS/NOTIF.HTM