A Weather-Ready Nation Case Study: How an Airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Brings It All Together

The National Weather Service (NWS) Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) vision sets forth a goal of getting communities ready, responsive, and resilient to vulnerabilities from extreme weather, water, and climate events (NWS 2017). With that vision in mind in 2018, the NWS developed new, enhanced services for the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture airshow in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, one of the largest airshow events in the world. In 2017, EAA (a WRN Ambassador) estimated that 590,000 people, over 10,000 planes and 11,600 camping sites were at the week-long event (EAA 2017 Facts and Figures). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has been part of the EAA International Federal Partnership (IFP) for twenty-five years. In 2018, NOAA held a leadership role in the IFP, which encouraged expanded WRN Impact-Based Decision Support Services (IDSS) to two partners at the EAA grounds: a) The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office Command Post and b) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In addition to Winnebago County support, NWS Forecast Office Green Bay (GRB) provided Enhanced Terminal Aviation Forecast (E-TAF) webinar service for government partners before, during, and after the EAA event. The NWS Aviation Weather Center (AWC) collaborated with GRB and NWS Chicago Center Weather Service Unit (ZAU) to create a product that assisted FAA Oshkosh staff in making safety decisions for airshow attendees, participants, and staff. Furthermore, EAA allowed NOAA access to their platform of EAA Webinars to educate members on NOAA programs and services. These collaboration efforts expanded services to partners and improved education to EAA members, providing a more ready and responsive community.