How the National Weather Service Affects Our Lives

​How the National Weather Service Affects Our Lives

By National Geographic Society, adapted by Newsela staff

Published:05/03/2020

Word Count: 452

Recommended for: Upper Elementary School - High School

Text Level: 6

Some text here about the topic of discussion

​Lightning strikes near a weather radar dome at the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma. The National Weather Service (NWS) is the federal agency responsible for monitoring weather conditions across the United States.

People depend on weather forecasts every day. We rely on accurate predictions of sunny skies, chilly winds or torrential rains to help us plan.

​

The National Weather Service (NWS) is responsible for giving us this constant, important information. The NWS is a federal agency that monitors weather conditions across the United States. It is the nation's official source for weather forecast information. 

​

The NWS is located in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is located alongside its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NWS issues as many as 1.5 million forecasts per year.

​

The NWS issues heat warnings, thunderstorm and tornado warnings. It issues these warnings to meteorologists, or weather forecasters. Local TV news, radio stations and sites on the internet and smartphone apps also use NWS forecasts. 

​

​Forecasting Can Be Very Specific

​

The NWS has nearly 5,000 employees and it operates around the clock. Meteorologists and other scientists and staff work to keep you, your family and your community informed at all times.

​

NWS also watches for developing weather conditions. Predictions of serious approaching weather can save lives. For example, in May 2013, the National Weather Service anticipated severe weather in Oklahoma, five days before an extremely powerful tornado hit the city of Moore. The NWS's predictions got more accurate: A half an hour before it touched down, a tornado warning was issued. Even though 24 people were killed and hundreds were injured, the warning likely prevented many more deaths and injuries. 

​

Watching and forecasting weather is a big job. The NWS has 122 separate weather forecast offices. They are located in all regions of the continental United States. The NWS also has offices in Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands. Each office focuses on the weather in its surrounding 20 to 50 counties. The NWS forecasters also live where you do and are familiar with your region's weather patterns. That makes accurate forecasts more likely. 

​

​Pinpointing Weather From The Mountains To The Seas

​

The NWS also gives special forecasts for recreation spots such as mountain summits, lakes and beaches. It has observation stations and webcams close by to show the weather in real-time. But these areas can be tricky. Approaching winds, storms or heat might interact with the geography of higher elevations or waterways to create unusual weather conditions. 

​

NWS also has "mountain point forecasts." Hikers can use these forecasts to check winds, temperatures and precipitation at the tops of high mountains. The agency also has "marine point forecasts." These forecasts notify communities near lakes, rivers and along coasts. They warn people about winds, rip currents, wave heights and flow rates. 

​

No matter the occasion or the weather, the National Weather Service has us covered.

​

Multiple Choice

Which sentence from the article would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?

• The NWS is a federal agency that monitors weather conditions across the United States.

• It is located alongside its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

• The NWS has 122 separate weather forecast offices.

• They warn people about winds, rip currents, wave heights and flow rates.

Multiple Choice

Read the following sentence from the article.

Local TV news, radio stations and sites on the internet and smartphone apps also use NWS forecasts.

How does this detail develop the article’s CENTRAL idea?

• It introduces the idea that smartphone apps have the most accurate NWS information.

• It illustrates that it is easier for the public to get weather forecasts from the NWS today.

• It explores the difference between getting NWS weather forecasts from TV news or the internet.

• It emphasizes that the weather sources most people use rely on the work of the NWS.

Multiple Choice

What is the MOST likely reason the author included information about the National Weather Service's predictions about storms and tornadoes in Oklahoma?

• to highlight a location in the country that is in need of more NWS stations to monitor the weather

• to elaborate on the statement that NWS meteorologists can save lives by watching developing conditions

• to demonstrate the danger of tornadoes even when people have warnings from sources like the NWS

• to argue that forecasting the weather can be stressful for the experts working around the clock at the NWS

Poll

How does the author build understanding of the effort by the NWS to predict the weather all around the country?

• The author highlights problems that have occurred with maintaining NWS equipment in some areas, then includes evidence about what some states are doing to help with this.

• The author compares the difficulty of making accurate predictions in mountains and marine areas, then explains how tourists can help the NWS improve its forecasts.

• The author provides specific information about the number and locations of weather forecast offices, then explains what the NWS does to be alert for weather in recreation areas.

• The author describes the specific number of forecasts that the NWS makes every year, then includes evidence that many people make their plans based on these predictions.