Tell HN: The US NE Weather Service to end technical Area Forecast Discussions

8 points

5 months ago

Several Eastern NWS offices, including Boston and New York, are transitioning away from the detailed technical discussions that explain forecaster reasoning. The new “warnings first” format aims to reduce “redundancy” by focusing on hazard information. Does anyone know why this is occurring? The stated reasons do not make sense.

For non-weather people. This means the Area Forecast Discussions which are extremely valuable for understanding why forecasters reached their conclusions will largely duplicate the warnings and zone forecasts already available everywhere else, in a nonsensical format.

The meteorological reasoning that made AFDs useful to enthusiasts and professionals alike is being stripped out. It is hard for me to understand how this is an improvement or anything other than wholesale downgrading of service by some of the US’s most important weather regions.

A summary of the changes is available here: https://partnerservices.nws.noaa.gov/products/cache/350-2025/PNSOKX/554ebc63d53efc7a5c2b325ce4223fbc Boston has already switched. Here’s what the new format looks like: https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=BOX&issuedby=BOX&product=AFD&format=CI&version=1&glossary=1&highlight=off

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