Fall Season Courses Now Available
Aug 17, 2010

We are now accepting applications for all of our Fall Recertification and 2-day Assistant's Courses! Full Participants: Even if you are not due for a Refresher course, we highly recommend that you sign up for and attend a Refresher this season due to major training updates.  The National Weather Service has changed the base radar products--the old radar products will be going away at the end of the year.  To prepare you for this change, we will be providing training materials that compare the old (Classic, or 4 bit) data with the new (Enhanced, or 8 bit) at the Refresher classes. Other topics for the Refreshers include RadarFirst, Mesonet weather products, Severe Weather and Flooding ingredients, and a case study.

Our complete Fall schedule is as follows (we are still arranging for a Ponca City Refresher, likely in mid-late November...no other classes will be added):

Norman OEMA Training Day Recertification Course - August 30th

El Reno Recertification Course - September 30th

Shawnee Assistant Course - October 5-6th

Stillwater Recertification Course - October 12th

Ada Recertification Course - October 19th

Duncan Recertification Course - October 28th

Burns Flat Assistant Course - November 2-3rd

Tulsa Recertification Course - November 9th

Register Today! The courses tend to fill quickly. Go to the "upcoming events" section on the homepage for the applications and click on the "Sign Up" button. If you have any other questions or you would like to get in your requests for locations for the Spring series, feel free to contact us at okfirst@mesonet.org.

Fall Full Certification Course Application Available
Aug 12, 2010

OK-First is pleased to announce the Fall 2010 Full Certification Course! The course is four and a half days long and runs September 20-24. Class begins at 9:30AM on Monday the 20th and ends about 1:00PM on Friday the 24th. Completion of this course will grant you full access to the OK-First site, along with all the weather monitoring products and participant services we offer.

To sign up, go to http://okfirst.mesonet.org/news.php?content=upcoming_events&event_id=269

The Deadline for Signing Up is September 3.  After this date, we will no longer accept applications.  ALL paperwork (including the User Policy) MUST be in by September 3,
otherwise the application will not be considered for the workshop. 

If you sign up between August 30 and September 3, please go to the following address and download the PDF, fill it out, and return it either via fax (405-325-2550) or via email (okfirst@mesonet.org), otherwise you may not get your paperwork in on time to be considered:

http://okfirst.mesonet.org/files/OKFirstUserPolicy.pdf

There are a limited number of seats available, so please apply soon!

Please remember to fill in the short answer area on the form, so that we can more easily and quickly determine your eligibility for the course.  Also, we will have financial assistance for only up to 8 participants
this year, so please let us know in the form if you require financial support to attend the course.  NOTE: After we have accepted and notified the 8 who will receive assistance, there will be no more
financial support.

Please do not forget to mark whether or not you will be attending the optional OK-Fire training at the end of the OK-First workshop--if there are insufficient sign-ups for the OK-Fire session, we may have to cancel it.

Notifications of acceptance, either with or without aid, will be sent out no later than Wednesday, September 8th.

Special OEMA Refresher Class Now Open for Registration
Jul 30, 2010

For those of you who plan to attend the OEMA training day on August 30 in Norman, please remember to sign up at OK-First for the refresher course.  You MUST be either an OK-First Full Participant or trained assistant to be considered for the class and you must be registered for the training day through OEMA (see our application form for the OEMA application form link).

As soon as we have the rest of the season scheduled, it will be posted as usual here on the front page--we're still in the booking phase, so nothing is set yet.  The Full Certification Course application should be posted early next week.

Our final piece of news is a reminder that the old plug-in will be put to rest on Monday, August 2.  This means that the Classic pages will no longer work, so please switch to the New Current Data pages if you have not done so already.  Due to the new radar changes, the old plug-in will no longer be compatible, and the Oklahoma Mesonet no longer has the IT staff to maintain/upgrade it.  If there are products that you used in the Classic pages, but cannot find in the New, please let us know...we will help you find them, or, if they were not transferred over, we will put in a request to add them.

New Phone Number
Jun 03, 2010

For those of you who were used to calling Andy's old phone number, you are in luck--Nicole has changed offices and is now using Andy's old number--405-325-3230.  If you need to get a hold of her, please do not call her old number (405-325-7809), because she will not get the messages.

New Version of RadarFirst is Available!
Jun 01, 2010

The newest version of RadarFirst is now ready for your use!  Please make sure to visit the download page to get version 1.1.

New features include:

• Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, and Flash Flood Warning polygon overlays
• Roads (Major highways, then as you zoom in more roads will appear)--requires additional file download (RadarFirstMaps1.1)
  
• Spotter Network tracking--follow the spotters/chasers as they converge on a storm.  If your spotters are registered with http://www.spotternetwork.org/, you can see where they are relative to the storms.
• New radar format for BREF (listed as BREF-HD) and BVEL (BVEL-HD)--NWS is changing to this new look.  Please compare this new "HD" look to the older version and let us know what you're seeing...we're currently working on training for the Fall Refresher courses that will cover how to interpret the new format.  Feel free to ask us questions on it, but you may not get a good answer just yet, as the trainers are trying to figure it out too!
• Audible alerts for the above three warnings--you can set this by county!
• To change radars or products, click on the bar above the map (click on radar name to change radars, click on product name to choose a different product)

Please let us know what you think...and what you would like to see next!

Spring Season Classes Completed
May 02, 2010

All of our OK-First Spring workshops have now been completed.  We would like to thank all of the OK-First participants who attended!  

We are currently planning a full course at the National Weather Center for this fall...the course will likely be held sometime between mid-August and mid-September, but we have not determined exact dates at this time.  If you are interested in taking the full course, or know someone who is, please tell them to frequently check the OK-First website front page over the next several months.  As soon as the dates are set, we will announce the class on our website and will post online applications for the course.

Also, we are taking suggestions for Recertification and Assistant Course locations for the fall--the more demand we get for certain locations (especially from Full Participants who are near or over 18 months since the last refresher class), the more we will consider the specific site.  Keep in mind, though, that these are suggestions/requests to help us understand area needs--we may or may not choose the sites (for example, if several towns clustered together each request a refresher course, we cannot go to each of the locations--we might pick one in the center of the group).

We're hoping to be part of the OEMA training day this year, which will be August 30...we will likely have a refresher course that day.  As soon as everything is set, we will have registration for the class on the homepage.

We're Back Online...and Spring Courses Will Be Announced Soon
Feb 17, 2010

To help you more quickly, OK-First is back on AIM with the username ok1desk.  Nicole will be logged on during the hours she's in the office, so now you can send her a message with your questions, comments, suggestions, and complaints!  Don't get discouraged if you don't get an immediate response--we often have impromptu meetings here at OCS, so she may be there...but as soon as she gets back to her desk, she will send a reply.

Also, we have been receiving several questions about when the Spring courses will begin--as soon as everything is scheduled, the entire season schedule will be posted here.  We're hoping that we will be able to finalize all locations by the end of this week, but if we do not receive responses from the tech centers, we may have to wait until next week to post the courses.

We CAN tell you that the first class will be a refresher course here in Norman on March 3--just before the National Severe Weather Workshop begins (please watch for the sign-up to appear...it should be up this week).  The other locations and dates are nearly set, so we are no longer taking requests for the Spring locations...if you would like to get in your requests for the Fall series, feel free to contact us at okfirst@mesonet.org.

OK-First Full Course Winter 2010
Feb 01, 2010

OK-First is pleased to announce the Winter 2010 Full Course! The course is four and a half days long and runs February 1-5. Class begins at 1:00PM on Monday the 1st and ends about 5:00PM on Friday the 5th. Completion of this course will grant you full access to the OK-First site along with all the weather monitoring products and participant services we offer.

The Deadline for Signing Up is January 18.  After this date, we will no longer accept applications.  ALL paperwork (including the User Policy) MUST be in by January 19, otherwise the application will not be considered for the workshop. 

If you sign up between January 16 and 18, please go to the following address and download the PDF, fill it out, and return it either via fax (405-325-2550) or via email (okfirst@mesonet.org), otherwise you may
not get your paperwork in on time to be considered:

http://okfirst.mesonet.org/files/OKFirstUserPolicy.pdf

There are a limited number of seats available, so please apply soon!

Please remember to fill in the short answer area on the form, so that we can more easily and quickly determine your eligibility for the course.  Also, we will have financial assistance for only up to 8 participants this year, so please let us know in the form if you require financial support to attend the course.  NOTE: After we have accepted and notified the 8 who will receive assistance, there will be no more financial support.

This class has closed.  Notifications of acceptance, either with or without aid, will be sent out no later than Friday, January 22.

Thank you,

OK-First

Winter Full Course Coming Soon
Nov 24, 2009

All of our OK-FIRST Fall workshops have been completed.  We would like to thank all of the OK-FIRST participants who attended! 

Due to overwhelming demand, we are planning a full course at the National Weather Center for this winter.  The course will be held sometime in January or February. We have not determined a date at this time.  If you are interested in taking the full course, or know someone who is, please tell them to frequently check the OK-FIRST website.  We will announce the class on our website and will post online applications for the course as soon as the date is set. 

HAVE A SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON!

Spring 2009 Classes Completed
May 12, 2009

Thanks to all of our OK First participants who attended our classes this spring!  Each class we held was filled to capacity.  Our next class will be a 4-day full course for new agencies offered late this summer.  When the class is finalized, we will list the details here.  Please visit our site frequently for updates concerning classes and software updates. 

Have a safe spring season!!

A Note About Severe Weather Watches
Feb 03, 2008

Since Mother Nature can't decide whether it is winter or spring, I need to pass along a note about severe weather watches.  The National Weather Service has implemented
their "watch by county" approach to issuing severe weather watches.  We cannot display watches by county in the OK-First pages yet.  So, throughout
storm season, you will find watch boxes displayed on OK-First. 

As a result, I strongly urge everyone to read the text of the watches to verify that your county is either within, or out of, the watch.  The traditional watch box may be misleading, as the box may enter into a county that is not technically listed in the watch discussion.

Information is critical in making good decisions.  By reading the text of the watch products, you arm yourself with more information.  Regardless of whether or not you are in a watch, I strongly encourage everyone to read the watch products to learn more about the daily weather threats.

OK-First Full Course
Dec 02, 2007
OK-First will be holding its Full Certification Course from January 14-18. This class will give you access to the OK-First website, training materials, and mesonet data for free. It will also certify you for the next 18 months in the program. The cost of the class and travel will be covered by OK-First.

To apply follow this link.

Application

Winter Weather Interpretation Tips
Nov 30, 2007

With winter weather approaching, don't forget some of your OK-FIRST winter weather tips.

First of all, don't forget that winter weather is a tough forecast and expect it to change often. Keep checking those forecast discussions!

During the event, here are some things you can do to stay informed about precipitation type and intensity:

1. Check the critical thickness plot (the default map on Choose Your Threat: Ice & Snow). On the north/cold side of all those lines, expect precip to fall as snow. On the south side, expect liquid precip to fall from the sky (which will freeze if surface temps are below freezing!). Between all the lines: a mixed bag. (example)

2. Mesonet data is critical. Find the freezing line! Remember that you can use "disappearing wind observations" to see where our wind sensors are freezing up. The sensors are 30 ft off the ground. When our wind observations start grinding down to zero, we are loading ice at 30 ft: so power lines and tree limbs are probably loading ice too.

3. Frozen precip often looks different than liquid precip on radar. Frozen precip often has a smooth or "brushed" texture and lower reflectivities. Liquid precip (rain, freezing rain) is usually more cellular or "mottled" and has pockets of higher reflectivities (example).

4. Snow and ice can stick even when soil temps are in the upper 30s. Bridges and overpasses freeze first!

5. If you came to the fall refreshers, you got a lot of info about soundings. Use the current sounding to help diagnose precip type, but remember, it's usually several hours old and a long way from your local jurisdiction. Use Mesonet data to update the surface temps!

5b. If you are comfortable interpreting soundings for precip type, here is a useful link for forecast soundings.

Remember, the freezing line is critical at the surface as well as aloft in the atmosphere. Use the OK-FIRST winter weather cheat sheet (page 1 | page 2) to help during the winter event. Also, take a look at some examples of freezing rain, sleet and snow soundings in the OK-FIRST Winter Weather Training Materials.

OK-First Website is Moving!
Oct 10, 2007
Starting today, the OK-First website is moving!  The new URL for OK-First will be: 

http://okfirst.mesonet.org
 

For now, the old website will be redirected to the new site.

Please remember to change your bookmarks to reflect this update.  If you experience any problems with the new website, please let us know.

New Web Page Is On Line
Apr 12, 2007

The new OK-FIRST web page and WeatherScope software was released Thursday April 12.

To use the new pages, you'll need to know and do a few things:

1. The old pages will not go away ... they will still be available. You can get to them by selecting "Classic Current Weather" in the "Participant Services" menu (see attached figure). We will not remove the old pages until people stop using them.

2. You will need Version 1.5 of the WeatherScope software to access the new pages ... note that this is not the WxScope Plugin, which you've been using for years. The WeatherScope software will be released with the OK1 web site. You will get to the software through the Download Software link in the Participant Services menu.

3. The new website and software requires more horsepower on your end than the old site. The new software needs Windows 2000 or Windows XP. It will not run on Windows 98. If your machine is more than a couple of years old, you may not be able to use the site effectively without an upgrade. Minimum and recommended specs are listed below.

Again, the existing OK-FIRST web site that you have been using will not go away until people stop using it. If your computer can't keep up with the new pages, the existing pages are still there for you as "Classic Current Data".

For technical help installing and running the software, you can contact us or our Mesonet operators. The contact information is available at "Contact OK1" within the "Participant Services" tab

4. Some of the new software and web site features are:

... a hazards-based menu system, where information is organized by hazard type, not by data type. The menus walk through the hazard process for several different threats (severe wx, fire, flooding, winter). For each threat, there are several tabs with a specialized data arrangement: a "Plan & Prepare" tab helps diagnose the day's threats, a "Monitor Ingredients" tab, a "During Event" tab for real-time action, and an "After Event" tab for documenting the event.

... full integration with OCS's WeatherScope software. WeatherScope brings many improvements to OK1 because it is a much more powerful and flexible visualization tool. For example, you can see radar in its native resolution. Beam broadening is explicitly displayed (no more pixels!). Zooming, scrolling and looping are much smoother now.

... you can now use your entire screen to view weather data. The new layout allows radar images to fill as much real estate as your screen allows.

... several "split-screen" options allow you to simultaneously zoom into two panels (reflectivity and velocity, for example). In other words, as you zoom into reflectivity, the velocity map mirrors your actions. A cursor on the velocity map follows the location of the cursor on the reflectivity map.

... improved situational awareness, with a regional view integrated into all parts of the website.

... the ability to select multiple counties (up to five) for "alert me" functions. In other words, if you are in Delaware County, you can choose it as your "home" county, and add Adair and Sequoyah Counties, plus Crawford and Washington Counties in Arkansas.

... county roads are now available as a layer in many OK-FIRST maps.

... you can now create up to ten "custom" maps and upload them into OK-FIRST. This way, you get the chance to look at custom products that are important to your office, but keep the situational awareness and "alert-me" benefits of the big website.

Minimum Computer Requirements for WeatherScope 1.5:
Minimum system software requirements are Mac OS X version 10.4.9 and Windows 2000. Minimum hardware requirements are difficult to specify. In general, WeatherScope should run on hardware that includes a reasonably capable accelerated graphics card and supports the minimum system software requirements. The browser plugin should work with any web browser that supports the Netscape/Mozilla plugin or Microsoft ActiveX APIs.

Recommended Windows System for WeatherScope 1.5:
- Windows XP
- 1 GB of RAM
- Accelerated graphics card with 64 MB of VRAM
- Firefox 2.0.0.3

Recommended Macintosh System for WeatherScope 1.5:
- Mac OS X version 10.4.9
- 1 GB of RAM
- Accelerated graphics card with 64 MB of VRAM
- Safari 2.0.4

Daylight Savings: Windows Update
Mar 27, 2007
If the clock on your radar data is one hour behind, please check the following:

A. Make sure you have downloaded the latest WxScope Plugin (10.8.5).

B. Make sure you have updated your Microsoft Windows to use the new Daylight Savings Times.

If you have the time, go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com, and run the required security and updates (warning: if you don't update your PC automatically, this might take a LONG time!):

If you don't have the time ...

1. Go to the Microsoft download center: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads

2. Click on the Windows Security & Updates tab in the left menu

3. Click on the the Daylight Savings Update (#KB931836, it was released 2/7/2007)

4. Click "continue" and follow the onscreen instructions.

(note: the radar data is current, even if your timestamp is an hour behind)

List of Upcoming Courses
Feb 13, 2007
You've probably noticed that we've been busy scheduling recertification workshops and sending out reminder emails. We've tried our very best to provide a number of recertification opportunities this spring, with seven recerts available during the month of April.

We have attached the list of OK-FIRST training opportunities in coming months. Each link should take you straight to the workshop's sign-up page, where there are more details (addresses, times, etc.)

Remember, refreshers are worth 6 hrs of CLEET and OFST credit. Full course is 24 and assistant is 12.

We look forward to seeing you there! And speak of "seeing you there", drop by our booth at the National Severe Weather Workshop March 1-3, 2007!

------
Assistants Course (Norman) Feb 26, 2007
Full Course (Norman) Mar 13, 2007
Refresher Course (Fairview) Apr 02, 2007
Refresher Course (Burns Flat) Apr 03, 2007
Refresher Course (Ponca City) Apr 09, 2007
Refresher Course (Pryor) Apr 10, 2007
Refresher Course (Hugo) Apr 17, 2007
Refresher Course (Ada) Apr 23, 2007
Refresher Course (Norman) Apr 24, 2007

New Webpage & Lots of Refreshers
Jan 30, 2007
We are just days away from beta-testing the new OK-FIRST website, and just a few weeks from releasing it for everybody's use. We're really proud of the design and it will allow you to do a few new things, like select multiple "home" counties, immediately open OK-FIRST maps in a stand-alone tool, upload your own maps. Our favorite new feature allows you to do a side-by-side "cursor tracking" comparison of two different maps ... for example, if you click and zoom on a reflectivity map, a "ghost cursor" in the next window's velocity map will follow along exactly (useful for comparing reflectivity features to velocity features!).

We will schedule at least six refreshers during the month of April. Check the Upcoming Events for the dates of these refreshers.
These will all be "on the road" in regional technology centers. We encourage you to attend, because we'll be going over the new software, the new web pages and a couple of severe weather scenarios. We anticipate heavy participation in these refreshers, and if six isn't enough to meet demand, we will schedule more.

Also, we've scheduled a full course in Norman March 13-16 and an assistants' course in Norman February 26-27.

We hope to see you soon!

Refresher Schedule Underway
Oct 09, 2006
Andy, Nick and I are in the process of scheduling recertification/refresher courses for the rest of the fall. These courses are important to attend because we will be going over the next generation of OK-FIRST web pages. These pages are based on the next generation of OCS visualization software (it's awesome ... like WeatherScope that interacts with your browser).

We will only be able to schedule three or four recerts in the fall because the late move into the National Weather Center pushed back the completion of our classroom. However, we will aggressively schedule recerts in the spring of 2006. Several of them will be here in the NWC and several will be traditional "on the road" workshops.

So, if you are interested in playing with the new software and shaping the direction of the OK-FIRST web pages, please watch the "Calendar" section of the OK-FIRST web site for a recert near you!

Mesonet Operations move notice
Sep 22, 2006