NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center

This presentation will inform the attendees and broadcast meteorology community about the National Weather Service's (NWS) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) and its role as The Nation's official civilian source of space weather watches, warnings and alerts (WWA), forecasts, and potential impacts. The SWPC provides information and forecasts regarding space weather events and works with core partners and customers across many sectors to ensure timely and actionable steps may be taken to safeguard society. The current solar cycle 25 is progressing and has been more active than originally predicted. In

2023 and 2024, we have already had impactful space weather storms to some of our technologies. This presentation will look at some of those events of note and how the broadcast meteorology community can use SWPC information and forecasts to better understand noteworthy activity and help with messaging - to provide accurate data and forecasts, while helping to combat incorrect information. The NOAA Space Weather Scales will also be briefly discussed so the attendees can better understand the impacts-based design of the scales and the relationship to the primary space weather causal storms. The underlying solar events behind recent potentially impactful space weather storms will be looked at, as well as the actions taken by SWPC forecasters in WWA issuance and progression. Finally, this presentation will allow broadcast meteorologists to better understand what products and data to look for on the SWPC webpage for storm progression, auroral activity chances, and how to articulate that to their viewing audiences. The NWS and the broadcast meteorology community have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship to help serve, inform, and protect the public in their areas of responsibility and viewerships. This presentation will help foster a better understanding of space weather and how broadcast meteorologists can use SWPC and its resources to better inform their viewing audiences about space weather storms - in particular, those that may allow the aurora to be seen from their viewing area.