Hazard Services Development at NOAA’s Global Systems Laboratory: 2025 Update

Hazard Services software has been operational within the second-generation Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS-2) at all National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices since 2019 and it is used to issue hydrology watches, warnings, and advisories (WWAs). Since 2021 Hazard Services has also been used operationally for Winter Weather (WSW) and Non-Precipitation Weather (NPW) workflows at select Weather Forecasting Offices (WFOs). All WFOs will make the transition to Hazard Services for those workflows starting October 1st, 2024. Additionally, the Convective Hazard Services workflow is currently being tested operationally as part of AWIPS Test Authorization Note (ATAN) 1261 at a small subset of WFOs. NOAA’s Global Systems Laboratory (GSL) is responsible for requirements gathering, design, and implementation of all other forecast and hazardous weather workflows used by NWS offices and National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) offices into the Hazard Services framework.

There are several ongoing projects at NOAA/GSL to bring more hazardous weather forecast and warning workflows, tools and recommenders, and messaging formats into the Hazard Services framework. These include:

• Development of new and migration of existing Fire Weather workflows, inside the Hazard Services software framework. This will include several in-person and hybrid assessments of the software.
• Ongoing development and field evaluation of a modernized AWIPS Tsunami Operations Messaging Service (ATOMS) and its ancillary tools for managing tsunamigenic events and creating Tsunami WWAs, threat messages, and statements in many languages and message formats for the Atlantic and Pacific basins.
• Ongoing development of the first National Center hazards for Aviation in-flight products including adding the Non-Convective Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) for future use by the Aviation Weather Center.
• Ongoing development of high seas forecasts and warnings for the Atlantic and Pacific oceans based on forecaster feedback from the Hurricane and Ocean Testbed (HOT).
• ATAN 1263 is ongoing to test storm surge watches and warnings in Hazard Services at the National Hurricane Center.
• In collaboration with the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) additional hazards are being added to Hazard Services for Excessive Rainfall Outlook and Mesoscale Precipitation Discussion as well as creating a brand new Collaborative Winter Storm Watch workflow.
• Enhancements made to the Threats-In-Motion (TIM) project to allow for convective warnings to be extended in area and time to provide equitable lead times to populations downstream of the warning.

This presentation will provide the audience with an overview of these development efforts and summarize its current progress towards NWS operations.