National Weather Service Text Product Descriptions
| Forecast Information | |
| Product | Description |
| 7 Day Zone Forecast | A county-by-county forecast written in plain text for the next 7 days. Includes any long-term watches, warnings, and advisories. |
| Revised Digital Forecast | A county-by-county forecast for the next 60 hours in matrix format. Please note, this product will no longer be produced as of 1 November 2003. |
| Area Forecast Matricies | An area averaged forecast for the next 7 days in matrix format. |
| Point Forecast Matricies | Point forecasts for selected locations that covers the next 7 days in matrix format. |
| Coded Cities Forecast | A coded forecast for select cities in our forecast area. Information includes high and low temperatures, and 12-hour probability of precipitation. |
| Short Term Forecast | An overview of weather trends during the next 1 to 6 hours. Normally issued only when precipitation or hazardous weather is occurring. |
| Area Forecast Discussion | A technical discussion of the meteorological reasoning behind the forecast. |
| Hazardous Weather Outlook | Used for communicating the potential for hazardous weather, and preparedness for spotter activation. |
| Winter Weather Product | Provides watches, warnings, and advisories for winter precipitation events. |
| Non Precipitation Product | Provides watches, warnings, or advisories issued for a wide variety of hazardous weather phenomena, such as high winds, dense fog, extreme heat, or low wind chills. |
| Severe Weather Information | |
| Product | Description |
| Tornado Warning | Issued when a tornado is imminent or occurring, based on radar or visual sightings. Typically issued for single counties or a small group of adjacent counties for 15 to 45 minutes in duration. |
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning
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Issued when a severe thunderstorm is imminent or occurring. Typically issued for single counties or a small group of adjacent counties for 15 to 60 minutes in duration. |
| Flash Flood Warning | Issued when flash flooding, caused by heavy rainfall rates or a dambreak, is imminent or occurring. Typically issued for single counties or a small group of adjacent counties for 2 to 6 hours in duration. |
| Flood Warning | Issued when flash flooding, caused by heavy rainfall rates or a dambreak, is expected to continue beyond 6 hours. Typically issued for single counties or a small group of adjacent counties for 2 to 6 hours in duration. |
| Severe Weather Statement | Issued as a follow-up to severe weather warnings. Used to relay urgent information about ongoing severe weather, such as damage reports and up-to-the-minute storm location updates. Also used to cancel or expire severe weather warnings. |
| Flash Flood Statement | Issued as a follow-up to Flash Flood Warnings and contains the latest flooding reports and radar trends. |
| Flood Statement | Flood statements may be issued as a follow-up to Flood Warnings, Flood Watches, or for high water in urban areas and along small streams (formerly the Urban and Small Stream Flood Advisory). |
| Local Storm Report | Used to disseminate weather information. Includes the time and date of the event, its location, and any other pertinent information. |
| Special Weather Statement | Used to cancel or expire portions of severe weather watches. |
| Fire Weather Information | |
| Product | Description |
| Issued once daily. Contains weather elements of critical importance to fire managers, such as relative humidity, precipitation duration and amounts, smoke mixing heights, and transport winds. | |
| Issued daily during the fire season. Contains a coded forecast of weather elements critical to fire behavior for specific forest sites in our fire weather forecast area. | |
| Issued when extreme burning conditions are forecast, including very low relative humidity, strong winds, and dry forest fuels. | |
| Aviation Weather Information | |
| Product | Description |
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An aviation forecast containing METAR-coded forecast data for a designated airport and its immediate vicinity. Valid for 24 hours in duration, issued 4 times daily. |
| Hydrologic Information | |
| Product | Description |
| Issued when conditions are favorable for flooding during the next 36 hours. | |
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Issued when river flooding, caused by heavy rainfall rates or a dambreak, is expected to continue beyond 6 hours. Typically issued for river basins, possibly lasting for several days. |
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Flood statements may be issued for minor flooding of river basins that pose no threat to life or property. Typically issued for river stages at or near flood stage. |
| Issued daily. Contains observed river stages and precipitation reports. | |
| Issued daily. Contains a 3 day river stage forecast for select locations in our hydrologic service area. | |
| Issued when conditions appear favorable for possible flooding from 36 hours and beyond in the future. | |
| Climate Information | |
| Product | Description |
| Issued daily. Contains climatological observed values, along with normals, records, and monthly, seasonal, and yearly accumulations. | |
| Issued monthly. Contains climatological observed values for the month, along with normals, records, and monthly, seasonal, and yearly accumulations. | |
| Issued when a daily or monthly temperature or precipitation record has been tied or broken. | |
| Details maximum and minimum temperature along with 24 hour precipitation for select locations within our forecast area. | |
| General Public Information | |
| Product | Description |
| Issued twice daily, providing a brief weather summary and forecast for our local forecast area. | |
| Issued to inform the public of non-routine events of interest. May contain weather safety advice, observed rain or snowfall reports, or storm damage survey results. | |
| Issued at the request of an emergency manager when a large-scale evacuation or other public action is necessitated by a disaster, either man-made or natural. | |
