Evolving to Achieve a Weather-Ready Nation

In recognition of increased vulnerability to extreme weather events and the need to provide enhanced decision support for the protection of life and property, the National Weather Service is evolving to achieve a Weather-Ready Nation. The NWS launched the ‘Evolve’ effort in 2017 to address five objectives: 1) enhancing quality and consistency of Impact-based Decision Support Services (IDSS) at all levels of the organization; 2) building a flexible and nimble workforce the NWS needs to deliver science-based services through enhancing skills today and hiring for tomorrow; 3) improving effectiveness of forecasting in support of IDSS through a collaborative process that makes the best use of technology, reduces duplication, and ensures consistency of the forecast; 4) matching workforce to workload across the organization and building a stronger organizational structure to better meet the needs of NWS partners; and 5) supporting the innovation, science, technology, and culture required for NWS to continue improving over time. Numerous initiatives have been launched to address these objectives through a disciplined project management approach. This presentation will summarize the ongoing initiatives, early successes, challenges, and future plans.