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May 2022
 Photo sources: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet / Randi Feltner; © 123RF/Hudson 16055232; 227914375- Adobe Stock / A.Film
Road Weather Management (RWM) Program Newsletter
News and Resources for the RWM Community
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.”
Albert Camus
Welcome!
As spring brings lengthening days and warmer temperatures, many of us in the road weather community wrap up our winter operations and look ahead to a new season of road weather challenges. This edition of our newsletter is a continuation of our mission to keep the RWM community up to date on the work of the program, and to provide a forum for sharing items of general interest.
This issue we are happy to feature two great new opportunities to learn about topics in road weather management: a new course on Principles and Tools for Road Weather Management from the National Highway Institute (NHI) and the new Road Weather Spotlight webinar series from FHWA. Also in this issue is information on the 2021 Road Weather Management Program's Performance Measures Update.
As always, we are interested in hearing from you. Let us know what topics you would like to hear about, or send us news from your organization. In the meantime, see the end of the newsletter for some social media posts we found of general interest to the community.
Happy Spring to all,
David Johnson
FHWA Road Weather and Work Zone Management Team Leader
david.johnson@dot.gov
Tony Coventry
FHWA Road Weather Management Program Manager
tony.coventry@dot.gov
 Source: FHWA
The RWMP is pleased to announce Principles and Tools for Road Weather Management (FHWA-NHI-137073), a free, 6-hour long, web-based course available from the National Highway Institute (NHI), the authoritative source in transportation training.
The course provides transportation professionals in highway maintenance and/or highway operations with training to develop tools and strategies for addressing road weather problems. The training is presented in three modules:
• Module 1: Road Weather Management During a Winter Storm
• Module 2: Road Weather Management During a Tropical Storm
• Module 3: Road Weather Management During High Winds and Low Visibility
After an overview of the types of road weather problems and their associated costs, as well as basic meteorology for non-meteorologists, participants are exposed to various strategies for addressing road weather problems, including Road Weather Information Systems (RWIS) and the development of cross-cutting decision support systems to respond effectively to weather situations. In addition, road weather solutions unique to maintenance management, traffic management, traveler information, and emergency management are discussed.
If you have questions about this NHI training, please contact NHI at nhicustomerservice@dot.gov or 877.558.6873.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Road Weather Management Program (RWMP) has launched the Road Weather Spotlight, a monthly webinar series discussing challenges of various road weather events, lessons learned, and practical solutions. The series will run the first Wednesday of each month from May to October, 2022. Tune in to learn more as we turn the Spotlight on specific topics within the following road weather themes:
- Severe Road Weather Impacts
- Road Weather Maintenance and Operational Challenges
- Road Weather Data Sources and Applications
- Road Weather Research and Innovations
The series will follow an informal, conversational format, where all are encouraged to participate and collaborate. Registration is free, although required, and the webinars will be recorded and available through the National Operations Center of Excellence (NOCoE). Register for a NOCoE account to sign up for invitations and watch the NOCoE calendar for details.
For more information, contact David Johnson at david.johnson@dot.gov or Tony Coventry at tony.coventry@dot.gov.
Over the past 15 years, the RWMP has conducted six periodic evaluations of its effectiveness in accomplishing its goals. Each evaluation is based on the program’s objectives, which are regularly updated by the RWMP team and used by the road weather community as a guidepost for technical direction and activity. Data sources such as the RWMP’s records, literature reviews, internet searches, and surveys of State departments of transportation (DOTs) are used to conduct each assessment. The results include the latest progress, successes, and national state of the practice relating to the implementation of road weather strategies for each RWMP objective area. These help the RWMP communicate its successes and to identify areas that need more focus, support, and/or outreach in the future.
A factsheet with the highlights of the 2021 Road Weather Management Performance Measures Update report is awaiting final approval prior to being posted on the RWMP website – if you would like to see it sooner, please contact us. The full report will be made available as soon as possible.
For more information contact David Johnson at david.johnson@dot.gov or Tony Coventry at tony.coventry@dot.gov.
Does your agency have a new RWM innovation to share? Is your agency facing RWM issues that you would like to hear more about? The FHWA RWM program would like to hear from you. Please contact Tony Coventry at tony.coventry@dot.gov, with your suggestions regarding topics for future newsletters.
This newsletter’s Social Media section focuses on road weather-related Public Service Announcements. Perhaps you have some to share with us?
Flood Science
 Source: Twitter
Burn Scars
 Source: Twitter
Dense Fog
 Source: Twitter
Cruise Control in Winter
 Source: Twitter
 For additional information, please contact:
David Johnson, david.johnson@dot.gov
Tony Coventry, tony.coventry@dot.gov
FHWA Office of Operations
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