Author Topic: NWS alerts via new API different description  (Read 615 times)

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Offline daneast

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NWS alerts via new API different description
« on: April 08, 2019, 10:52:01 PM »
I'm switching my code to use the newer NWS API for weather alerts. Everything is in order from a technical standpoint, however the data from the new API does not have the same text as the older XML based API.

The description from the original XML feed (and any other wx software I use to view the alert):
Code: [Select]
...The Flood Warning has been extended for the following rivers...
Great Pee Dee At Pee Dee affecting Marion and Florence Counties SC
...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers...
Lumber Near Lumberton affecting Robeson County NC
The Flood Warning continues for
The Lumber Near Lumberton.
* until further notice.
* At  7:50 PM Monday the stage was 14.23 feet.
* Flood stage is 13.0 feet.
* Minor flooding is occurring and Minor flooding is forecast.
* Forecast...The river will continue rising to near 14.7 feet by early Thursday
afternoon then begin falling.
* Impact...At 15.0 feet...Flood waters will affect yards in the Pines area, Coxs
Pond area, and along River Road. Additional residential property will be
affected between the Pepsi plant and the river on the east side of Lumberton.
&&

From the new API:
Code: [Select]
Great Pee Dee At Pee Dee affecting Marion and Florence Counties SC
...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers...
Lumber Near Lumberton affecting Robeson County NC
The Flood Warning continues for
The Lumber Near Lumberton.
* until further notice.
* At 7:50 PM Monday the stage was 14.23 feet.
* Flood stage is 13.0 feet.
* Minor flooding is occurring and Minor flooding is forecast.
* Forecast...The river will continue rising to near 14.7 feet by early Thursday
afternoon then begin falling.
* Impact...At 15.0 feet...Flood waters will affect yards in the Pines area, Coxs
Pond area, and along River Road. Additional residential property will be
affected between the Pepsi plant and the river on the east side of Lumberton.

Notice the new API is missing the first sentence ...The Flood Warning has been extended for the following rivers.... The alert doesn't make as much sense with that missing. I've seen this in multiple cases.

Here is the entire JSON for the new API for that alert to show that text is nowhere in the new data.
Code: [Select]
"properties": {
"@id": "https://api.weather.gov/alerts/NWS-IDP-PROD-3469529-3035248",
"@type": "wx:Alert",
"id": "NWS-IDP-PROD-3469529-3035248",
"areaDesc": "Robeson, NC",
"geocode": {
"UGC": ["NCC155"],
"SAME": ["037155"]
},
"affectedZones": ["https://api.weather.gov/zones/county/NCC155"],
"references": [{
"@id": "https://api.weather.gov/alerts/NWS-IDP-PROD-3468242-3034266",
"identifier": "NWS-IDP-PROD-3468242-3034266",
"sender": "w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov",
"sent": "2019-04-08T11:02:00-04:00"
}
],
"sent": "2019-04-08T20:56:00-04:00",
"effective": "2019-04-08T20:56:00-04:00",
"onset": "2019-04-08T20:56:00-04:00",
"expires": "2019-04-09T12:55:00-04:00",
"ends": null,
"status": "Actual",
"messageType": "Update",
"category": "Met",
"severity": "Severe",
"certainty": "Observed",
"urgency": "Immediate",
"event": "Flood Warning",
"sender": "w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov",
"senderName": "NWS Wilmington NC",
"headline": "Flood Warning issued April 8 at 8:56PM EDT by NWS Wilmington NC",
"description": "Great Pee Dee At Pee Dee affecting Marion and Florence Counties SC\n\n...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers...\n\nLumber Near Lumberton affecting Robeson County NC\nThe Flood Warning continues for\nThe Lumber Near Lumberton.\n* until further notice.\n* At 7:50 PM Monday the stage was 14.23 feet.\n* Flood stage is 13.0 feet.\n* Minor flooding is occurring and Minor flooding is forecast.\n* Forecast...The river will continue rising to near 14.7 feet by early Thursday\nafternoon then begin falling.\n* Impact...At 15.0 feet...Flood waters will affect yards in the Pines area, Coxs\nPond area, and along River Road. Additional residential property will be\naffected between the Pepsi plant and the river on the east side of Lumberton.",
"instruction": "PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...\n\nPeople with interests along the river should take the necessary precautions to\nprotect life and property from the flood waters.\n\nAdditional information is available on our website at weather.gov/ilm under the\n\"Rivers and Lakes\" link.",
"response": "Avoid",
"parameters": {
"VTEC": ["/O.CON.KILM.FL.W.0015.000000T0000Z-000000T0000Z/"],
"EAS-ORG": ["WXR"],
"PIL": ["ILMFLSILM"],
"BLOCKCHANNEL": ["CMAS", "EAS", "NWEM"]
}
}

Anyone have any insight into this?

Offline Jasiu

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Re: NWS alerts via new API different description
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2019, 08:08:15 AM »
You can point this out to the folks at the NWS/NOAA help desk at toc.nwstg@noaa.gov. I'd give them the exact same description (or just point them to this posting).
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Offline Jasiu

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Offline Maumelle Weather

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Re: NWS alerts via new API different description
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2019, 08:29:57 AM »
This makes me think it is still in Beta, given the incomplete wording. It reminds me of their new Forecast API that I have yet to use. Plus, this is the first time I have seen and heard about a new API for weather alerts. Like you said, it does not make much sense with that first part missing.

It may be wise to wait for an official word on its release, hence this may further confuse people who see those and wonder what it means.

John

GR2AE, GR3, Cumulus

Offline daneast

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Re: NWS alerts via new API different description
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2019, 08:30:55 AM »
Thanks, I'm emailing them now.  Also, I have noted that in some cases that missing text does appear in the properties.parameters.NWSheadline array as the first element.  However it is in all caps there, and many alerts, like the one above, does not have that field defined at all.

Offline daneast

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Re: NWS alerts via new API different description
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2019, 08:32:49 AM »
This makes me think it is still in Beta, given the incomplete wording. It reminds me of their new Forecast API that I have yet to use. Plus, this is the first time I have seen and heard about a new API for weather alerts. Like you said, it does not make much sense with that first part missing.

It may be wise to wait for an official word on its release, hence this may further confuse people who see those and wonder what it means.

John

The new alert API is the one (and only) API that is considered operational.

Quote
Important! Only the following endpoints are considered operational. Changes to operational endpoints are subject to PNS and SCN notices. All other endpoints are subject to change without notice.

/alerts/*

Offline daneast

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Re: NWS alerts via new API different description
« Reply #6 on: April 10, 2019, 07:45:25 AM »
It looks like NWS has confirmed this is an issue in one part of their system (HCE) - the data coming out does not match the data coming in (it is sometimes missing that first line of text in the alert description). They haven't given an ETA as to when it will be fixed.

Offline Jasiu

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Re: NWS alerts via new API different description
« Reply #7 on: April 10, 2019, 11:05:19 AM »
Thank! Keep us updated. I've found their turnaround time to be reasonable - think I've waited at most a week to ten days for something non-critical like this.
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Offline daneast

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Re: NWS alerts via new API different description
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2019, 08:22:10 AM »
From NWS:

Quote
The fix for this issue is in development, with an expected release to operations in late June.

Offline Jasiu

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Re: NWS alerts via new API different description
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2019, 10:33:55 AM »
Something else to look at: see if the missing text is in the NWSheadline field (minus the ellipses before and after). I've just noticed that lately for a lot of alerts. I've been concatenating "..." NWSheadline "..." with description and it seems to match the old text.
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