WEATHER FORECASTS FROM OXNARD SERVE REGION.Byline: Andrea Cavanaugh Staff Writer OXNARD - As the biggest storm of the year swept toward Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, last week, forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Oxnard tracked the front with hardly a glance at the darkening dark·en v. dark·ened, dark·en·ing, dark·ens v.tr. 1. a. To make dark or darker. b. To give a darker hue to. 2. To fill with sadness; make gloomy. 3. skies outside. Instead, the station's 15 meteorologists Atmospheric scientists
``We never use the windows,'' said meteorologist Bill Hoffer. ``We can only see over to the post office. We get all our information from the computers. You don't take your eyes off them for a minute.'' Using high-resolution satellites, Doppler radar and a new system called the National Digital Forecast Database that provides a seven-day, four-dimensional picture of the atmosphere, forecasters can predict the weather with nearly perfect precision, meteorologist Tim McClung said. ``They're almost always accurate,'' he said. ``When you forecast a storm for Monday morning, and it comes in Monday afternoon, we don't feel bad.'' Agencies from throughout Ventura, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l  `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. counties rely on the Oxnard weather station's forecasts to plan everything from road repairs to emergency crews. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department's Office of Emergency Services emergency services Emergency care '…services …necessary to prevent death or serious impairment of health and, because of the danger to life or health, require the use of the most accessible hospital available and equipped to furnish those services' uses National Weather Service reports in its Emergency Operations Center The Emergency Operations Center, or EOC, is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level in an emergency situation, and ensuring to prepare for events such as heavy rain or high winds, program administrator Dale Carnathan said. ``A lot of the issues our office deals with are weather-related,'' he said. ``It helps us plan the use of resource and to better prepare people for weather-related emergencies.'' The Los Angeles County Fire Department Not to be confused with Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La uses the forecasts to make sure crews are adequately staffed in case of heavy flooding or high fire danger, spokesman Jeff Duran said. ``If it's going to be red-flag weather conditions, we augment our staffing,'' he said. ``When there's a big storm coming, we'll activate our swift-water rescue teams and make sure they're ready to go.'' The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW) is responsible for the construction and operation of Los Angeles County's roads, building safety, sewerage, and flood control. relies heavily on forecasts to help plan road work and to call in extra staff during big storms, spokesman Ken Pellman said. The information received from the agency is almost always correct, he said. ``We have rarely been caught off guard,'' Pellman said. ``Everybody knows how hard it is to be accurate in predicting the weather.'' On the Net: http://www.nwsla.noaa.gov Andrea Cavanaugh, (805) 583-7602 andrea.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) A computer in the National Weather Service office in Oxnard shows atmospheric conditions last week in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The station has 15 meteorologists watching banks of computer screens. (2 -- color) Meteorologist Ben Moyer checks the weather on NWS NWS National Weather Service NWS Naval Weapons Station NWS New World Symphony NWS Nuclear Weapon State NWS Not Work Safe NWS National Watercolor Society NWS North Warning System NWS Nose Wheel Steering NWS National Waste Strategy (UK) computers in Oxnard. Forecasters use high-resolution satellites, Doppler radar and the National Digital Forecast Database. (3 -- color) Meteorologist Tim McClung says the Oxnard station's advanced technical equipment permits precise forecasting. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer |
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