Service assessment

"This report on the series of tornadoes which struck central Texas on May 27, 1997, was prepared by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Service Assessment Team following a 4-day visit to the storm sites. The meteorological analyses presented in the report were developed by the Team during a 4-month period following the on-site assessment. The team has drawn upon a number of external resources, including the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), Operational Support Facility (OSF), and university resources to make the interpretations of the severe weather setting. It should be noted that the meteorological analyses and interpretations, since they were done after the fact, make use of all available information. Some of the charts and photographs shown in this report were not available to the staffs of the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) Weather Service Forecast Offices (NWSFOs) Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin/San Antonio, Texas, prior to the occurrence of the tornadic thunderstorms. The report is based upon information gathered by the team through a visit to the Austin/San Antonio NWSFO in New Braunfels, Texas; aerial and ground surveys of three of the tornado track sites; and interviews with members of other agencies and organizations and state, county and municipal governments. The team expresses its appreciation to the county and municipal officials who took time from urgent disaster response duties to share their impressions of the event and interpretations of the effectiveness of NWS products and services. Similarly, the team would like to extend its appreciation to the staffs of the Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin/San Antonio NWSFOs for making themselves readily available and for outlining their actions before and during the event. This report assesses the effectiveness of NWS products and services before and during the period of the severe thunderstorms as they moved through central Texas. Furthermore, the report presents the team's facts, findings and recommendations as defined by their survey"--Foreward.

Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
National Weather Service (NWS)

Texas