(NWS) – National Weather Service, (MLB) – Melbourne main web page: Here you will be able to see current forecasts, advisories, watches, warnings, etc.
Hazardous Weather Outlook (HWO): This is a daily weather outlook that goes out to day 7. This is updated about 0600 and 1100 each day, or as needed.
http://www.weather.gov/mlb/ghwomain
Impact Weather Update (IWU)and Graphicast for East Central Florida: This is updated every few hours or as needed. It identifies what the forecasters are looking at for the forecast area, for said period.
https://www.weather.gov/mlb/blog
Hail size reference and info:
If you get hail, it needs to be reported. You can text or email me: I will need your location; hail size (with a coin for size reference) and picture(s) will help. This gives the forecast a solid reference to the hail information. 1” or greater is the severe storm warning criteria. Or winds greater than 58 MPH.
https://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/tables/hailsize.htm
http://oklahomacityroofing.co/hail-size-chart/
SPC – Storms Prediction Center: SPC issues all watches for the U.S.… (Severe thunderstorm, tornado). This forecast goes 8 days. SPC also gives winter weather information. www.spc.noaa.gov
If a risk of severe weather is forecast. It will be shown in the color code.
Understanding Severe Thunderstorm Risk Categories
https://www.spc.noaa.gov/new/images/SPC_outlook_final_updated.png
* Mesoscale Discussion, Simple version
When conditions begin to shape up for severe weather, SPC often issues a Mesoscale Discussion (MD) statement anywhere from roughly half an hour to several hours before issuing a weather watch.
** Mesoscale Discussion, detailed version
The MCD describes what is currently happening, what is expected in the next few hours, the meteorological reasoning for the forecast, and when/where SPC plans to issue the watch (if dealing with severe thunderstorm potential). Severe thunderstorm MCDs can help you get a little extra lead time on the weather and allow you to begin gearing-up operations before a watch is issued. The MCD begins with a numerical string that gives the LAT/LON coordinates of a polygon that loosely describes the area being discussed.
https://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?word=mesoscale+discussion
**Area Forecast Discussion (AFD):
This is a technical discussion on what the forecasters are looking at from now until the next 7 days. This is issued 4 times a day. The main updates are posted between 2a to 6a and 2p to 5p. The late morning update is posted between 10a to noon and the late evening update is 9p to 11p.
https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=AFDMLB&e=202404300650
NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER (NHC)
NWS MLB’s web page during the tropical season.
http://www.weather.gov/mlb/tropical
Tropical Tidbits: Tropical Tidbits by Levi Cowan (YouTube). Levi has become very, very popular in the past few years. His explanation of the tropical forecast gives the viewer a simple but in-depth understanding of what is going on with said tropical forecast. While TV Meteorologists have a few minutes to explain. Levi has no time restraints. Follow on Facebook and Twitter.
(@TropicalTidbits), https://www.tropicaltidbits.com/