Climate Services Professional Development Series

PCU 1: Know the Infrastructure for Climate Data and Services

PCU 2: Understand Climate Variability and Change and Apply to Local Services

PCU 3: Understand the Basis and Methodologies of CPC Products

PCU 4: Use NOAA Climate Products and Tools in Local Climate Services

PCU 5: Apply Climate Information to Decision Support, Partnership, and Communication

PCU 6: Understand Principles for Conducting Timely, Accurate, and Consistent Climate Data Observations and the Broad Range of Their Applications

Residence Training:

Operational Climate Services

Climate Variability

Advanced Climate Variability

Sub-Seasonal to Seasonal (S2S) IDSS

PCU 3: Understand the Basis and Methodologies of CPC Products Producer: Mike Halpert, NWS Climate Prediction Center, and Stephen Baxter, AFS Climate Services Training need: NWS field staff must understand, interpret, and deliver CPC products and services at the local level. This information is needed to maximize the effectiveness of customer outreach in providing climate-based decision support services. NWS local office staff needs to be able to connect weather events with climate variability and trends.

Training objective: NWS field staff will be able to correctly locate and interpret the CPC product suite, including outlooks and monitoring products. They will also need to explain the basis of the CPC forecast techniques and communicate the performance characteristics of the tools and forecasts.

Specific Job Task Skills and Knowledge:

Understand format and proper interpretation of CPC product suite:

Forecast products:

Long lead outlooks: Week 3-4, One-Month, and Three-Month
Extended Range Outlooks: 6- to 10-Day and 8- to 14-Day
U.S. Probabilistic Hazards and Global Tropics Hazards Benefits Outlook
ENSO forecasts
Excessive heat and cold
Atlantic Hurricane Seasonal Outlooks
Monthly and 3-Month Drought Outlooks

Monitoring / Diagnostic Products:

ENSO advisories
Drought monitor
Other derived monitoring and diagnostic products

Demonstrate knowledge of how products are produced:

Scientific Basis
Statistical and Dynamical Forecasting Tools
Forecast and monitoring Process, as appropriate

Demonstrate familiarity with CPC operational production schedule.
Demonstrate familiarity with performance characteristics of forecast tools and products:

Hindcast verification statistics of tools (skill mask)
Real-time verification of forecasts and tools
Use of Verification Web Tool (VWT)

Recognize and integrate climatic drivers into the NWS decision support services

PCU 3 Instructional Components:

Please note, updated modules for each instructional component are in development.
Links will be added as they become available.

Instructional Component 3.1: CPC Extended-Range Outlooks (6- to 10-Day and 8- to 14-Day)

CPC Extended-Range Outlooks & US Week-2 Probabilistic Hazards

Training Module (Web Version | LMS Version)

Instructional Component 3.2: CPC Long-Range Outlooks (Weeks 3-4, One-Month, and Three-Month)

CPC Three-Month and One-Month Outlook Products and Interpretation

Training Module (Web Version | LMS Version)

CPC Weeks 3-4 Outlook Products and Interpretation

Instructional Component 3.3: CPC Hazards Outlooks

Global Tropics Hazards Outlook & Seasonal Hurricane Outlooks

Training Module (Web Version | LMS Version)

Instructional Component 3.4: CPC Drought Outlooks and US Drought Monitor

Understanding and Interpreting CPC Drought Outlooks
U.S. Drought Monitor Fundamentals: Input, Output, and How to Contribute

Instructional Component 3.5: Climate Variability Products

Teleconnections (NAO, etc.)
El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Fundamentals
El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Monitoring and Outlooks

Training Module (Web Version | LMS Version)

The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) Monitoring, Prediction, and Applications

Instructional Component 3.6: Philosophy and Science Basis for CPC Temperature and Precipitation Outlooks

Philosophy and application of 3-category, probabilistic forecasts
Forecast tools
Forecast verification