National Weather Service Shreveport, Louisiana facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
National Weather Service Shreveport, Louisiana

Types	branch
Location	Shreveport
Country	United States
Coordinates	32°27′04″N 93°50′30″W / 32.45112309°N 93.84163346°W / 32.45112309; -93.84163346
Website	www.weather.gov/shv/

The National Weather Service - Shreveport, LA (SHV) is a special office that helps keep people safe. It is one of 122 weather forecast offices across the United States. This office is in charge of creating weather forecasts and warnings. These warnings cover parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.

The Shreveport office also has a weather radar (KSHV) and a special facility to launch weather balloons. These tools help them gather important weather information. They also send out weather updates through NOAA Weather Radio.

What the Shreveport Weather Office Does

The main job of the Shreveport office is to study weather data. They use information from weather stations, radar, and satellites. They also look at computer models that predict the weather. All this helps them create forecasts and warnings.

Areas Covered by SHV

The Shreveport office covers a large area. This includes 48 counties and parishes around Shreveport, Louisiana.

• One county in southeastern Oklahoma.
• Nine counties in southwestern and southern Arkansas.
• Twenty-one counties in eastern Texas.
• Seventeen parishes in northwestern and north-central Louisiana.

Types of Forecasts Issued

The forecasts from SHV are for different groups of people.

• Public Forecasts: These are for everyone to know about daily weather.
• Aviation Forecasts: These are for pilots and airports. They are updated every six hours for seven airports, including Shreveport Regional Airport.
• Fire Weather Forecasts: These help fire officials and firefighters. They provide information about weather conditions that could affect fires.

Severe Weather Warnings

The Shreveport office works closely with the Storm Prediction Center (SPC). The SPC is in Norman, Oklahoma.

• The SPC issues watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.
• The Shreveport office helps coordinate these watches.
• All other warnings and advisories, like for floods or winter storms, come directly from the Shreveport office.

Tools Used by Meteorologists

The meteorologists at the Shreveport office use advanced tools. These tools help them understand the weather. They also help them create accurate forecasts and warnings.

Doppler Weather Radar

The office has a Doppler weather radar. This radar sends out radio waves. These waves bounce off rain, hail, and snow. This helps meteorologists see where storms are and how strong they are.

Upper Air Sounding Facility

The Shreveport office also has a special facility to launch weather balloons.

• These balloons carry small devices called radiosondes.
• Radiosondes measure temperature, wind speed, and humidity.
• They can go up to 100,000 feet (about 30,000 meters) high.
• Balloons are launched twice a day, at 00 and 12 UTC.
• During big weather events, like severe weather or a hurricane, they might launch balloons more often.
• The data from these balloons is plotted on special charts called Skew-T log-P diagrams.

Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS)

Meteorologists use a computer system called Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS). This system helps them:

• Watch the current weather conditions.
• Look at all the data from radar, satellites, and balloons.
• Create and issue forecasts and warnings quickly.

NOAA Weather Radio Stations

The National Weather Service uses NOAA All Hazards Radio to share weather information. This includes forecasts, observations, watches, and warnings. These stations broadcast 24 hours a day.