Findings from the 2014 Hazardous Weather Testbed Probabilistic Hazard Information Experiment

The 2014 Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) Probabilistic Hazard Information (PHI) experiment was held on 5-9 May, 19-23 May, and 2-6 June. This experiment focused on initial testing and evaluation of concepts to modernize the National Weather Service (NWS) watch/warning paradigm, as part of the Forecasting a Continuum of Environmental Threats (FACETs) vision. Testing of these concepts was performed by NWS forecasters using a newly-developed web-based interface for rapidly prototyping methods for creating PHI, along with forecaster-generated PHI grids for tornado, wind, hail, and lightning hazards simultaneously displayed in AWIPS2 (in addition to radar data).

This presentation will provide a summary of what was learned from the following testbed activities:

• Forecaster experimentation with creating, issuing, and updating probabilistic, feature-following objects (i.e., PHI threat objects) during real-time and displaced real-time severe weather events.
• A comparison of warnings issued using WarnGEN/AWIPS2 vs. PHI threat objects for two displaced-realtime severe hail events.
• Collaboration with the HWT Experimental Forecast Program (EFP) on short-term, regional probabilistic forecasts for individual hazards.

Each of these summaries will include situationally-dependent forecaster feedback that is being used to inform future prototype development.