The Hazard Services Storm Track Tool: A Modernized Workflow to Create Short-Fuse Convective Warnings

The operational Hazard Services software that is currently used to issue hydrology watches, warnings, and advisories will soon expand to include short-fused workflows, including convective hazards such as severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. The Storm Track Tool within Hazard Services will effectively become the replacement to the capabilities provided in WarnGen, the legacy application currently used by National Weather Service forecast offices. While the Storm Track Tool shares many user-interface similarities with WarnGen to ease adoption, there are several key upgrades and forward-looking features within Hazard Services that will allow for easier warning manipulation and more rapid dissemination of hazard information than is currently available to forecasters, these include:

• Multi-hazard workflows allowing forecasters to track and issue multiple hazards simultaneously.
• First guess polygons based on background radar data or previously issued hazards.
• Automatic updates to unedited pending hazard polygons based on the latest radar frame information.
• A “smart” Calls-To-Action framework that will reduce clutter in the Hazard Information Dialog, and reduce the risk for redundant or contradicting selections to be made.
• The ability to copy neighboring warnings or warnings transitioning from land to water provides more efficient polygon placement and alignment
• Increased configurability of tool behavior and display elements.

This presentation aims to showcase the new capabilities of the Storm Track Tool, as well as highlight similarities to WarnGen that will allow for an easy transition between the two workflows.