The National Climate Extremes Committee (NCEC) was formed in November, 1997 based on the Montague, New York Snowfall Committee's recommendation. The purpose of the group is to review climatological extreme events that may challenge national records (state records continue to be the responsibility of the state climatologists, NCDC, and the appropriate WFO).
The Committee will assess the scientific merit of modified extreme meteorological/climatological events and provide a recommendation to the Director of the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) regarding the validity of the measurement This Committee will help alleviate the workload of the WFO's effected by an extreme event, since this Committee will handle the coordination and media inquiries (thru the NWS Public Affairs Office).
When a WFO suspects a value is potentially a new national record and desire a formal determination by the Committee, the observation and background writeup should be modified to the National Weather Service Office of Meteorology. Background should include the actual measurement, time, location, and the previous record.
The Committee is comprised of permanent representatives from the NWS, NCDC, and the American Association of State Climatologists, and can be supported by event specific experts as deemed appropriate