Andrew Horvitz and the Snowfall Evaluation Team, National Climate Extremes Committee NOAA/NWS/Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services, Silver Spring, Maryland

Quality snow observations are important for climatology, forecast products, and customer service. However, the Local Climatological Data (LCD) record is incomplete and/or unrepresentative with the loss of frozen precipitation and water equivalent measurements of snow at many of the nation's airports. This data discontinuity has negatively impacted the ability to access climate variability and change, does not meet customer requirements nor basic climatological data analysis for socio-economic decision-making.

The National Climate Extremes Committee will assess the current problem status, evaluate options, and provide recommendations to NOAA management. These steps are necessary to ensure accurate and representative snowfall, snow depth, and water equivalent observations and to preserve long term climate records for climate variability and change assessments, forecasts, and socio-economic decision making (Public Law 102-567, Section 706).

The Committee is scheduled to generate a report by August 30, 2003 which summarizes the problem, assesses options/costs, and makes a recommendation(s). A presentation by this Committee summarizing this activity will be addressed.

(Corresponding e-mail: Andy.Horvitz@noaa.gov)