Nash continued as a local forecaster on New Orleans television and radio.

Unlike other surveys of economic forecasts, which usually poll local forecasters in each country, The Economist polls mainly large international banks which make forecasts on a consistent basis for all the big economies.

However, if the storm is judged to be dangerous by local forecasters, a Winter Storm Warning for heavy snow and blowing snow may be issued.

The disks include prepared messages, with local forecasters only required to fill in the names of cities or counties and other local information, he said.

Mr. Johnson will be taking some of his severe-weather software to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where he will be training local forecasters in its use.

The American forecasters, in turn, take note of Europe's predictions as well as their own in producing summaries for use by local forecasters.

They show the movement of major pressure centers and the development of large storms, but smaller-scale details are left to local forecasters.

For the local forecasters of the Weather Service, though, an accurate warning two days ahead of a storm is a triumph.

Less than two years later, Winterling was the only local forecaster to warn Jacksonville residents that Hurricane Dora would make landfall on the first coast.

Did you predict the weather as well as the local forecasters?