Warning operations in support of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games

During the summer of 1996, the National Weather Service (NWS) provided weat her support for the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. This weat her support effort presented many challenges, particularly in the area of p roviding short-term forecast (watch) and warning support. Topping the list of challenges was working with a customer with different weather informatio n needs than the general public. The needs of the venue and competition man agement were much more detailed than the NWS traditionally is accustomed to and the thresholds for various phenomena were very low (e.g., warnings for the occurrence of any rain were issued rather than the more traditional NW S severe thunderstorm warning). This paper discusses many of the challenges faced and met by the Olympic We ather Support Office (OWSO). Details are provided on the weather warning re quirements of the Olympic venue and competition management, the watch/warni ng strategy utilized by the OWSO, and the resulting performance of the offi ce. More than 1200 watches and warnings were issued during the period of Ol ympic weather support. These bulletins were for phenomena ranging from dew formation and low visibility to lightning and heavy rain. Several emerging technologies were employed for warning operations in the OWSO, including th e Warning Decision Support System and the Watch/Warning/Advisory package. T hese hardware/software solutions appear to have made a positive impact on t he performance of the office in meeting the challenges of this unique warni ng situation.