The Evolving Weather Service: Relationship Dimensions that Drive Strong Partnerships

Abstract

Since the tragic tornado outbreaks in Central Alabama and Joplin, Missouri in 2011, the National Weather Service (NWS) has increasingly emphasized the importance of supporting community partners who help protect public safety. Through impact-based decision support services (IDSS), NWS forecasters develop relationships with their core partners to meet their partners’ decision-making needs. These core partners include broadcast meteorologists, emergency managers, and trained storm spotters. As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency’s VORTEX-SE program, we conducted a survey in 2019 to examine how NWS forecasters and managers assess their relationships with core partners. Here we present the survey instrument from this project, which can be used by forecasters and others to assess the strength of their relationships with core partners.