A question about the WPAC

[RobWESTPACWX]

To put this to rest and follow up on the post above. JMA is the RSMC track, JTWC is just the US Military and not an official agency. JTWC also warns on Hurricanes but do we use it instead of NHC?

Also on their website this is posted. I think it should put any questions about the US MILITARY to bed.

""Products on this website are intended for use by U.S. government agencies. Please consult your national meteorological agency or the appropriate World Meteorological Organization Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for tropical cyclone products pertinent to your country, region and/or local area."""

[RobWESTPACWX]

I wrote this article awhile back. I hope it helps as well.

Who is the Official Typhoon Agency?
Over the past several years I have noticed a difference in opinions of people across the western pacific and the world on this exact question, “Who is the official Typhoon Warning Agency?” From what I have seen and heard from many around the world is that most have no clue so I am here to set the record straight.
First I want to start off by mentioning that in the Western Pacific there are over Ten Forecast Agencies that create Tropical Cyclone Forecast at one time or another pending how close a storm is to there respected countries. They are the Japan Meteorological Agency, China Meteorological Agency, Hong Kong Observatory,Indonesia Meteorological Agency, Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Korea Meteorological Association,Malaysia Meteorological Agency, PAGASA, Taiwan, Thailand Meteorological Department and more. All these forecast agencies create there own graphics and provide valuable information to there respected countries. With one exception, one of these agencies is not part of the World Meteorological Organization. (WMO) Yet this agency gets displayed on numerous website and even mainstream TV organizations (that should remain nameless) as a official warning agency. That is the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

Let me start off by saying that JTWC is a great agency in its own right and for what it does. Forecasting the Weather for the US Military. The JTWC is not one of the WMO designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres, or one of its Typhoon Warning Centers. This forecast Agency was created to support United States Government and mainly military installations after the disaster of Typhoon Cobra that sunk four ships East of the Philippines in 1944. Being part of the military in my past and actually working with this agency I can honestly say they are designed and dedicated to stopping a disaster like that happening again. With that said the general public should not use this agency, end of story and for numerous reasons. A main one is they point at US Bases over seas in there long range forecast. If you don’t believe this next time look closely at a initial warning from JTWC, it is always towards a US Military Base, the most recent case was Guam with Sanvu, the storm obviously was going to go south of the island yet the initial warning pushed right over it. This is often the case with Okinawa, we always get worried emails from people in Okinawa when they see the forecast showing a deadly storm blasting the southern Japanese Island, yet after pointing them towards the official agency they get more relieved as the forecast typically is pointing away from the military installation. The reason they do this is for planning purposes, most bases take time to get ready for a storm, and better to make it worst case scenario than be under forecasted. Another reason is the forecasters for this agency are typically rotating in and out over a two year period, unlike the doctors and experienced hardened people who forecast for the official agencies such as JMA. Lastly is the plain and fairly obvious statement on there website that reads.

Products on this website are intended for use by U.S. government agencies. Please consult your national meteorological agency or the appropriate World Meteorological Organization Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for tropical cyclone products pertinent to your country, region and/or local area.

Once again, I do think this agency is good at what they do and I always use them when comparing with other agencies on a forecast track, but when discussing official warnings and dealing with typhoon planning a civilian whom has nothing to do with the US military should not consult JTWC.

With that said, back to the question, who is official?

According to the WMO it is RSMC TOKYO or the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). They are the hub of the Typhoon Committee established in 1968 and communicate with all the other WMO Agencies in regards to typhoon tracks. (JTWC not in the Typhoon Committee.) Below is a graphic from the WMO Stating where the official Agency boundaries are.



The other cyclone warning agencies across the western pacific and eastern asia are responsible for their specific countries and creating typhoon warnings and watches for there local areas based on the threats they deem to be most severe, yet this does not stop them from issuing forecast as well but remember above they communicate with the typhoon committe before, while, and after doing so.
All of these agencies also follow the WMO rules for naming these storms, with the exception of PAGASA (Philippines) who names their own storms. This is due to a few reasons two of them being the government feels people in Rural areas would remember the name easier and it gives the general public in the Philippines a more sense of urgency when it has a local name by PAGASA. Further more some old laws and governmental fixtures that keep things the way they are in the Philippines. Read this article from GMA a news source in the Philippines for more information.

So with that said, JMA is the official agency of the Western Pacific for Cyclone Warnings and Watches.

Here is a list of agencies world wide that provide cyclone forecast.

As always I welcome your opinion and comments. Please keep them respectful and kind, but a little debate never hurt either.



~Meteorologist Robert Speta

[Extratropical94]

That's a really good article. Thanks a lot for posting that.
I think the last 3 posts made the situation quite clear.

[euro6208]

You wrote all that? wow you must be a genius. i get lost when i write something that long lol

[supercane4867]

To put this to rest and follow up on the post above. JMA is the RSMC track, JTWC is just the US Military and not an official agency. JTWC also warns on Hurricanes but do we use it instead of NHC?

Since JTWC forecast track for hurricanes is copied from NHC, it doesn't make much difference to use either

[xtyphooncyclonex]

I wrote this article awhile back. I hope it helps as well.

Who is the Official Typhoon Agency?
Over the past several years I have noticed a difference in opinions of people across the western pacific and the world on this exact question, “Who is the official Typhoon Warning Agency?” From what I have seen and heard from many around the world is that most have no clue so I am here to set the record straight.
First I want to start off by mentioning that in the Western Pacific there are over Ten Forecast Agencies that create Tropical Cyclone Forecast at one time or another pending how close a storm is to there respected countries. They are the Japan Meteorological Agency, China Meteorological Agency, Hong Kong Observatory,Indonesia Meteorological Agency, Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Korea Meteorological Association,Malaysia Meteorological Agency, PAGASA, Taiwan, Thailand Meteorological Department and more. All these forecast agencies create there own graphics and provide valuable information to there respected countries. With one exception, one of these agencies is not part of the World Meteorological Organization. (WMO) Yet this agency gets displayed on numerous website and even mainstream TV organizations (that should remain nameless) as a official warning agency. That is the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

Let me start off by saying that JTWC is a great agency in its own right and for what it does. Forecasting the Weather for the US Military. The JTWC is not one of the WMO designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres, or one of its Typhoon Warning Centers. This forecast Agency was created to support United States Government and mainly military installations after the disaster of Typhoon Cobra that sunk four ships East of the Philippines in 1944. Being part of the military in my past and actually working with this agency I can honestly say they are designed and dedicated to stopping a disaster like that happening again. With that said the general public should not use this agency, end of story and for numerous reasons. A main one is they point at US Bases over seas in there long range forecast. If you don’t believe this next time look closely at a initial warning from JTWC, it is always towards a US Military Base, the most recent case was Guam with Sanvu, the storm obviously was going to go south of the island yet the initial warning pushed right over it. This is often the case with Okinawa, we always get worried emails from people in Okinawa when they see the forecast showing a deadly storm blasting the southern Japanese Island, yet after pointing them towards the official agency they get more relieved as the forecast typically is pointing away from the military installation. The reason they do this is for planning purposes, most bases take time to get ready for a storm, and better to make it worst case scenario than be under forecasted. Another reason is the forecasters for this agency are typically rotating in and out over a two year period, unlike the doctors and experienced hardened people who forecast for the official agencies such as JMA. Lastly is the plain and fairly obvious statement on there website that reads.

Products on this website are intended for use by U.S. government agencies. Please consult your national meteorological agency or the appropriate World Meteorological Organization Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for tropical cyclone products pertinent to your country, region and/or local area.

Once again, I do think this agency is good at what they do and I always use them when comparing with other agencies on a forecast track, but when discussing official warnings and dealing with typhoon planning a civilian whom has nothing to do with the US military should not consult JTWC.

With that said, back to the question, who is official?

According to the WMO it is RSMC TOKYO or the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). They are the hub of the Typhoon Committee established in 1968 and communicate with all the other WMO Agencies in regards to typhoon tracks. (JTWC not in the Typhoon Committee.) Below is a graphic from the WMO Stating where the official Agency boundaries are.



The other cyclone warning agencies across the western pacific and eastern asia are responsible for their specific countries and creating typhoon warnings and watches for there local areas based on the threats they deem to be most severe, yet this does not stop them from issuing forecast as well but remember above they communicate with the typhoon committe before, while, and after doing so.
All of these agencies also follow the WMO rules for naming these storms, with the exception of PAGASA (Philippines) who names their own storms. This is due to a few reasons two of them being the government feels people in Rural areas would remember the name easier and it gives the general public in the Philippines a more sense of urgency when it has a local name by PAGASA. Further more some old laws and governmental fixtures that keep things the way they are in the Philippines. Read this article from GMA a news source in the Philippines for more information.

So with that said, JMA is the official agency of the Western Pacific for Cyclone Warnings and Watches.

Here is a list of agencies world wide that provide cyclone forecast.

As always I welcome your opinion and comments. Please keep them respectful and kind, but a little debate never hurt either.



~Meteorologist Robert Speta

Is it from here : http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/23 ... heir-names ?

[Meow]

Even an article from an ex-soldier of the U.S can be ignored— Someone still said 30W is now the 29th named storm. Is not Krosa the 29th?

[euro6208]

Even an article from an ex-soldier of the U.S can be ignored— Someone still said 30W is now the 29th named storm. Is not Krosa the 29th?

Yes it's true...but i didn't say it's named yet...

27 Named storms including haiyan but if you include both PEWA and UNALA from the central pacific, it's up to 29 named storms...
Now we have 31W developing into a Tropical Storm but isn't named yet...

According to Jeff Masters, Haiyan is the 28th named storm of the season in the WPAC and now we got 31W...still waiting for JMA to give a name to 31W and it'll be our 29th named storm.

[Frank2]

It started slowly but the season out there has been something - bigger ocean, bigger systems - makes the Atlantic look like a bathtub (lol), but when you look at a globe and realize the Pacific is about 40% of the Earth's surface, then it makes sense...

P.S. As RobWESTPACWX said, the DOD and NWS contribute to the US forecasting in the Pacific for own possessions and military obligations, but many other rim countries contribute their own through their own meteorological agencies, so it's a coordinated effort that the WMO oversees at least when it comes to standardized forecasts for worldwide distribution...

Frank

[Ntxw]

This is the first year I've really followed the WPAC and it's amazing. I can't wait to see what this basin puts out in a big real Nino like 97, 82, and 72. Storm2k didn't exist for those years but I'm sure once we get one it will astonish many of us.

[Meow]

27 Named storms including haiyan but if you include both PEWA and UNALA from the central pacific, it's up to 29 named storms...
Now we have 31W developing into a Tropical Storm but isn't named yet...

According to Jeff Masters, Haiyan is the 28th named storm of the season in the WPAC and now we got 31W...still waiting for JMA to give a name to 31W and it'll be our 29th named storm.

Jeff Masters is totally wrong. Including Haiyan, there are 30 named storms. Haiyan is the 30th. Do not ignore Yutu.

31W is Haiyan, not 30W. Also, JTWC has regretted about upgrading 30W to a tropical storm.

[euro6208]

I wrote this article awhile back. I hope it helps as well.

Who is the Official Typhoon Agency?
Over the past several years I have noticed a difference in opinions of people across the western pacific and the world on this exact question, “Who is the official Typhoon Warning Agency?” From what I have seen and heard from many around the world is that most have no clue so I am here to set the record straight.
First I want to start off by mentioning that in the Western Pacific there are over Ten Forecast Agencies that create Tropical Cyclone Forecast at one time or another pending how close a storm is to there respected countries. They are the Japan Meteorological Agency, China Meteorological Agency, Hong Kong Observatory,Indonesia Meteorological Agency, Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Korea Meteorological Association,Malaysia Meteorological Agency, PAGASA, Taiwan, Thailand Meteorological Department and more. All these forecast agencies create there own graphics and provide valuable information to there respected countries. With one exception, one of these agencies is not part of the World Meteorological Organization. (WMO) Yet this agency gets displayed on numerous website and even mainstream TV organizations (that should remain nameless) as a official warning agency. That is the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC).

Let me start off by saying that JTWC is a great agency in its own right and for what it does. Forecasting the Weather for the US Military. The JTWC is not one of the WMO designated Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres, or one of its Typhoon Warning Centers. This forecast Agency was created to support United States Government and mainly military installations after the disaster of Typhoon Cobra that sunk four ships East of the Philippines in 1944. Being part of the military in my past and actually working with this agency I can honestly say they are designed and dedicated to stopping a disaster like that happening again. With that said the general public should not use this agency, end of story and for numerous reasons. A main one is they point at US Bases over seas in there long range forecast. If you don’t believe this next time look closely at a initial warning from JTWC, it is always towards a US Military Base, the most recent case was Guam with Sanvu, the storm obviously was going to go south of the island yet the initial warning pushed right over it. This is often the case with Okinawa, we always get worried emails from people in Okinawa when they see the forecast showing a deadly storm blasting the southern Japanese Island, yet after pointing them towards the official agency they get more relieved as the forecast typically is pointing away from the military installation. The reason they do this is for planning purposes, most bases take time to get ready for a storm, and better to make it worst case scenario than be under forecasted. Another reason is the forecasters for this agency are typically rotating in and out over a two year period, unlike the doctors and experienced hardened people who forecast for the official agencies such as JMA. Lastly is the plain and fairly obvious statement on there website that reads.

Products on this website are intended for use by U.S. government agencies. Please consult your national meteorological agency or the appropriate World Meteorological Organization Regional Specialized Meteorological Center for tropical cyclone products pertinent to your country, region and/or local area.

Once again, I do think this agency is good at what they do and I always use them when comparing with other agencies on a forecast track, but when discussing official warnings and dealing with typhoon planning a civilian whom has nothing to do with the US military should not consult JTWC.

With that said, back to the question, who is official?

According to the WMO it is RSMC TOKYO or the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). They are the hub of the Typhoon Committee established in 1968 and communicate with all the other WMO Agencies in regards to typhoon tracks. (JTWC not in the Typhoon Committee.) Below is a graphic from the WMO Stating where the official Agency boundaries are.



The other cyclone warning agencies across the western pacific and eastern asia are responsible for their specific countries and creating typhoon warnings and watches for there local areas based on the threats they deem to be most severe, yet this does not stop them from issuing forecast as well but remember above they communicate with the typhoon committe before, while, and after doing so.
All of these agencies also follow the WMO rules for naming these storms, with the exception of PAGASA (Philippines) who names their own storms. This is due to a few reasons two of them being the government feels people in Rural areas would remember the name easier and it gives the general public in the Philippines a more sense of urgency when it has a local name by PAGASA. Further more some old laws and governmental fixtures that keep things the way they are in the Philippines. Read this article from GMA a news source in the Philippines for more information.

So with that said, JMA is the official agency of the Western Pacific for Cyclone Warnings and Watches.

Here is a list of agencies world wide that provide cyclone forecast.

As always I welcome your opinion and comments. Please keep them respectful and kind, but a little debate never hurt either.



~Meteorologist Robert Speta

there is a difference though. out of all agencies in the wpac that you mention, only JTWC and thus NWS Guam uses 1 minute average winds which matters the most and is widely acceptable as the true intensity for a tropical cyclone and follows many noaa websites.

[RobWESTPACWX]

Euro, you say it is the most widely accepted but I am pretty sure and correct me if I am wrong. But NOAA is the only agency that uses a 1 Minute Wind Scale.

In fact on the WMO website. (Which really matters, we are talking about eastern Asia and many countries not just the USA) they say sustained winds are based on a 10minute scale.

Further more, Australia uses a "Wind Gust AVG" which is suppose to equate to a 10min avg.

India Uses a 3 min avg, France uses a 10min avg.

I guess on that note and please correct me if I am wrong. But NOAA is the only RSMC that uses a 1 minute wind scale so it is the most widely accepted?



Any how, I just stopped by to put in this video I made as well. Hopefully it also helps solve this question if anyone else stops by.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H87eiks88w

[Meow]

Euro, you say it is the most widely accepted but I am pretty sure and correct me if I am wrong. But NOAA is the only agency that uses a 1 Minute Wind Scale.

In fact on the WMO website. (Which really matters, we are talking about eastern Asia and many countries not just the USA) they say sustained winds are based on a 10minute scale.

Further more, Australia uses a "Wind Gust AVG" which is suppose to equate to a 10min avg.

India Uses a 3 min avg, France uses a 10min avg.

I guess on that note and please correct me if I am wrong. But NOAA is the only RSMC that uses a 1 minute wind scale so it is the most widely accepted?



Any how, I just stopped by to put in this video I made as well. Hopefully it also helps solve this question if anyone else stops by.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H87eiks88w

The U.S. uses 1-min, CMA uses 2-min, IMD uses 3-min, and others use 10-min. That is all.