National Severe Local Storms Operations Plan (color)

Cooperation and communication among agencies that provide essential meteorological data, information, and dissemination services are the bases for ensuring that users receive the best possible warnings and forecasts of severe local storms. This coordination is achieved through the activities of the Committee for Environmental Services, Operations, and Research Needs (C/ESORN) and the Joint Action Group for Severe Local Storms Operations (JAG/SLSO) in the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM). The responsible Federal departments and agencies who have promulgated the National Severe Local Storms Operations Plan (NSLSOP) have agreed to arrangements to promote the most effective use of their weather-related assets with respect to severe local storm operations. Between major revisions to this plan, changes will be promulgated by a Change Notice.The procedures and agreements contained herein apply to all of the 50 United States and the U.S. Territories of Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. The plan defines the roles of the individual agencies participating in the severe local storm warning service when more than one agency is involved in the delivery of service in a specific area. When a single agency is involved in any specific area, that agency's procedures should be contained in internal documents and, to the extent possible, be consistent with the NSLSOP practices and procedures.