Bill has been involved with the National Weather Service Forecast Offices for more than 20 years, most recently serving as the Meteorologist-In-Charge at the Fort Worth Forecast Office. He has also worked in New York City, Lansing, Mich., and Kansas City as well. Bunting is no stranger to Norman, however, as he worked as a forecaster at the Norman Forecast Office from 1990-1993. As the operations chief, Bunting supervises the 22 forecasters, is responsible for the forecasts that leave the office, and generally oversees the forecast office.

Bunting received his bachelor’s degree in meteorology and psychology from The University of Oklahoma in 1984. On returning to Norman Bunting said, “I’ve always admired the Storm Prediction Center’s expertise and innovation in terms of  forecasts they provide, and the opportunity to be a part of this group was one I couldn’t pass up.”

Bunting said he was “very much looking forward to the collaborative opportunities” between the Weather Forecast Office, National Severe Storms Laboratory, and other service branches here in the Norman office.

Bunting is taking over this position from Dave Imy, who retired in December.

Schneider has been the science support branch chief at SPC since 1997. The branch is responsible for maintaining SPC’s leadership in science and technology and for supporting its national forecast mission. This includes collaborative scientific research efforts in the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed, a facility designed to support collaboration between research scientists and operational weather forecasters on specific topics that are of mutual interest, and accelerate the transition of promising new meteorological insights and technologies into advances in forecasting.

Schneider has spent his entire career at NOAA’s National Weather Service, first working at NCEP’s Environmental Modeling Center and then moving to the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center as its first science and operations officer. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in atmospheric science from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

“I have had a lifelong fascination with severe weather since a series of major tornado outbreaks in 1965 and 1967 near my childhood home in suburban Chicago,” Schneider said. “This fascination continues with every position at the National Weather Service and fuels my focus on improving severe weather warnings for the public.”

Author and co-author of numerous professional publications, Schneider also served as an associate editor of the American Meteorological Society Journal Weather and Forecasting for over a decade. He led the Storm Prediction Center’s efforts to improve severe weather forecasts issued by the National Weather Service and received a Department of Commerce Bronze Medal for his contributions in 2007.

Schneider replaces former SPC director Joseph Schaefer, who retired in January.

Emergency managers and media will exchange ideas with academia and federal government experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the tenth annual National Severe Weather Workshop March 4-6 at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, 2501 Conference Drive, Norman, Okla.

Registration is underway for the three-day workshop, designed to enhance partnerships between severe weather forecasters and researchers, emergency managers, broadcast meteorologists, businesses, storm spotters and other weather enthusiasts. Participants will identify communities at risk, evaluate current and future tools for hazardous weather assessment, and discuss the challenges involved in conveying warning information about impending weather to the public.

This year’s theme, “A Decade of Sharing Information about Weather Emergencies, Communications, and Response,” was selected to highlight the 10 year anniversary of the workshop that started in Norman. “There are sure to be people attending this workshop in 2010 who were at the first workshop in 2001 and they will be quite amazed when they ponder where we’ve come from in such a short span of time,” said Greg Carbin, warning coordination meteorologist at the NOAA Storm Prediction Center and workshop program committee chairperson.

A Trade and Technology Expo composed of company displays and information kiosks will be held in conjunction with the workshop. Most of the companies who have signed on as workshop exhibitors specialize in weather information dissemination technologies.

The Thursday evening banquet speaker will be Leslie Chapman-Henderson, President/CEO of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. – FLASH®. FLASH is an award-winning national, non-profit corporation, founded in 1998 by a collaboration of organizations dedicated to strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disaster.

The event is hosted by NOAA’s National Weather Service and Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association and the Central Oklahoma Chapter of the American Meteorological Society / National Weather Association.

Workshop registration is being taken online at http://www.norman.noaa.gov/nsww. Standard three-day workshop registration is $60 until Feb. 26. Late workshop registration of $175 will be accepted online or at the door. One-day tickets are available for $55 until Feb. 26 and $65 after.

Mesoscale upper-level winds derived from GOES water vapor imagery

A new program to extend the use of geostationary satellite data in the operational environment has kicked off this spring in the NOAA Hazardous Weather Testbed at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. The GOES-R PG will involve the operational forecast community in the assessment and development of techniques for the next generation GOES satellites (GOES-R).

The “GOES-R Proving Ground” (PG) is sponsored by the NESDIS GOES-R program office and will take place over the next several years at the NOAA Storm Prediction Center in collaboration with the NOAA National Severe Storms Lab and the NOAA National Weather Service Norman Forecast Office.

During the first year, the GOES-R PG expects to lay foundational relationships and develop test methods that will lead to optimal testing of suites of products in following years. Techniques to be tested include:

- short-term forecasting of developing thunderstorms based on observations of cloud top cooling and development of ice in cloud tops (Cooperative Institute of Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison)

- simulated observations expected to be available from the optical lightning mapper on the GOES-R satellites

- short-term forecasts of hail probabilities based on cloud top information and environmental conditions (CIRA/NESDIS)

Most of these products will also be available for evaluation by the Experimental Warning Program and VORTEX2 forecasters this spring.

Background: The GOES-R is scheduled for launch in 2016. The availability of GOES-R products pre-launch will demonstrate a portion of the full observing capability of the GOES-R system.

]]> http://www.norman.noaa.gov/2009/05/goes-r/feed/ 0 http://www.norman.noaa.gov/2009/02/nsww2009/ http://www.norman.noaa.gov/2009/02/nsww2009/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:06:25 +0000 Keli Tarp http://www.norman.noaa.gov/?p=904 Emergency managers and media will exchange ideas with academia and federal government experts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the ninth annual National Severe Weather Workshop March 5-7 at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, 2501 Conference Drive, Norman, Okla.

Registration is underway for the three-day workshop, designed to enhance partnerships between severe weather forecasters and researchers, emergency managers, broadcast meteorologists, businesses, storm spotters and other weather enthusiasts. Participants will identify communities at risk, evaluate current and future tools for hazardous weather assessment, and discuss communication technologies and meteorological careers.

This year’s theme is “Dangerous Weather Ahead: Understanding and Communicating the Threats.” A Trade and Technology Expo composed of company displays and information kiosks will be held in conjunction with the workshop.

Banquet speakers Ann Dixson, District Magistrate Judge with the State of Kansas, and Bob Dixson, Greensburg Mayor, will speak about the Greensburg EF5 tornado of May 4, 2007. The two will share their experiences and discuss the community’s commitment to rebuilding.

The event is hosted by NOAA’s National Weather Service and Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association and the Central Oklahoma Chapter of the American Meteorological Society / National Weather Association.

Workshop registration is being taken online at http://www.norman.noaa.gov/nsww2009. Standard three-day workshop registration is $120 until Feb. 22. Late workshop registration of $140 will be accepted online or at the door. One-day tickets are available for $50 until Feb. 22 and $55 after. Banquet tickets are available for $20 each until Feb. 22.

2008 NOAA Hollings interns in Norman (from left): Jace Bauer, John Cintineo, Derek Stratman, David Cook, Jim Kurdzo, Amanda Sheffield, Jason Hwang, Keli Tarp (NOAA Office of Communication). Not pictured: Sean Waugh.

Eight undergraduate students from around the U.S. are in Norman this summer working on research projects as part of the NOAA Hollings Scholars program. The prestigious program is designed to help encourage students to pursue a future career in atmospheric science research.

Researchers from the National Severe Storms Laboratory and Storm Prediction Center and the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies volunteer their time to be paired with a student. Together the team chooses a project and the scientists guide them through the research process. The students formally present at the end of the summer. The experience is augmented by tours, field trips and lectures.

This years’ research topics are:

Environmental Conditions Associated with Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes in the United States – Jace Bauer, Purdue University, mentored by Harold Brooks, NSSL.

Investigating Severe Storms Attributes in NWS Tornado Warnings using WDSS-II Radar-Derived Products – John Cintineo, Cornell University, mentored by Travis Smith, CIMMS.

Climatological Analysis of the Water Budget and Soil Infiltration Characteristics Throughout the State of Oklahoma – David Cook, SUNY Albany, mentored by J.J. Gourley, NSSL.

Composite RUC Analyses of Weakly-Forced Mesoscale Convective Systems – Jason Hwang, Miami University, mentored by Dave Stensrud and Mike Coniglio, NSSL.

An Analysis of the Accuracy of Wind Measurements Taken on a Mobile Mesonet Vehicle – Sean Waugh, University of Oklahoma, mentored by Dave Rust and Don MacGorman, NSSL.

Evolution of a Tornadic Supercell Thunderstorm. Part I: Preparation of
One-Minute Phased Array Radar Measurements for Analysis – James Kurdzo, Millersville University, mentored by Rodger Brown, NSSL and Pam Heinselman, CIMMS.

An Examination of Simulated Reflectivity Forecasts from a 10-member Storm Scale Ensemble Prediction System – Derek Stratman, Valparaiso University, mentored by David Bright, Storm Prediction Center.

Comparative Lightning Characteristics of a Tornadic and Non-Tornadic Oklahoma Thunderstorm on April 24-25, 2006 – Amanda Sheffield, Purdue University, mentored by Phillip Bothwell and Joe Schaefer, SPC.

]]> http://www.norman.noaa.gov/2008/06/hollings08/feed/ 0 http://www.norman.noaa.gov/2008/05/hwt_2008/ http://www.norman.noaa.gov/2008/05/hwt_2008/#comments Mon, 05 May 2008 19:47:02 +0000 Susan Cobb http://www.norman.noaa.gov/?p=517

Participants in the 2008 Spring Experiment in the Hazardous Weather Testbed

This is the second week of the 2008 Hazardous Weather Testbed (HWT) EFP (Experimental Forecast Program) Spring Experiment held in the NOAA HWT at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. Each spring during the climatologically most active severe weather periods, multi-agency collaborative forecasting experiments known as the HWT EFP Spring Experiment have occurred since 2000. A strength of the program is the involvement of scientists and forecasters throughout the meteorological community. Participating in the EFP this week will include visiting forecasters from NOAA/NWS Pendleton OR, NOAA/NWS Amarillo TX, and researchers from NCAR, Boulder CO, Colorado State Univ., North Carolina State Univ., Mitre Corp./FAA, and Environment Canada.

The EFP branch of the HWT is focused on predicting hazardous mesoscale weather events on time scales ranging from a few hours to a week in advance, and on spatial domains ranging from several counties to the CONUS. The EFP embodies the collaborative experiments and activities previously undertaken by the annual SPC and NSSL Spring Experiments during the past seven years.

The HWT allows participating organizations to:
• Refine and optimize emerging operational forecast and warning tools for rapid integration into operations
• Educate forecasters on the scientifically correct use of newly emerging tools and to familiarize them with the latest research related to forecasting and warning operations
• Educate research scientists on the operational needs and constraints that must be met by any new tools (e.g., robustness, timeliness, accuracy, and universality)
• Motivate other collaborative and individual research projects that are directly relevant to forecast and warning improvement

Background: NOAA’s Hazardous Weather Testbed is a joint facility managed by the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the Storm Prediction Center, and the NWS Oklahoma City/Norman Weather Forecast Office within the National Weather Center located in Norman, OK. The HWT facilities include a combined forecast and research area situated between the operations rooms of the SPC and OUN and a development laboratory also located nearby on the second floor.

Significance: Since a primary mission of the NWS is the protection of life and property from hazardous weather phenomena, applied research aimed at improving the prediction of impact weather such as severe thunderstorms and tornadoes is a critical activity at the SPC, NSSL, OUN, and other NWS offices.

More information: http://hwt.nssl.noaa.gov/Spring_2008/

The Isaac M. Cline Award honors individual and team employees for operational excellence in the delivery of products and services in support of the National Weather Service mission.

“Saving lives and property is the central function of the National Weather Service and the Isaac M. Cline Award demonstrates the hard work of Richard to accomplish this goal,” said Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, USAF (ret.), director of NOAA’s National Weather Service.

Louis W. Uccellini, director of the NOAA/NWS National Centers for Environmental Prediction, will present the award during a ceremony to be held May 18 in Norman.

The award recognizes Thompson’s extensive research to improve severe weather forecasting techniques. He led an effort to develop and organize a large database of the environmental conditions associated with 413 supercell thunderstorms that occurred from 1999 through 2001, then used it to examine the environmental conditions prior to supercell development. Thompson noted the environmental conditions that help to differentiate between storms that produce tornadoes and those that do not.

The results of this study are used routinely by forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center and in local NWS forecast offices to determine when and where tornado watches and warnings should be issued, resulting in fewer false alarms and unneeded tornado watches.

“While severe thunderstorm forecasting remains challenging, thanks to Rich’s efforts, today’s SPC is much better at forecasting tornado potential than it was only a decade ago,” Uccellini said.

In addition, Thompson was instrumental in using the database to develop two parameters that help identify environments where supercells and significant tornadoes are likely to develop. The Supercell Composite Parameter identifies favorable environmental conditions for supercells, and the Significant Tornado Parameter (STP), which highlights favorable conditions for strong and violent tornadoes. These two parameters have aided SPC forecasters in surveying the country quickly to locate potential severe thunderstorm threat areas.

The award is named for the man whose courage and dedication is credited with saving thousands of lives during the Galveston, Texas, hurricane of 1900. Isaac Cline was in charge of the U.S. Weather Bureau office in Galveston when the popular coastal city was struck with the deadliest natural disaster in the nation’s history. The death toll exceeded 8,000, but could have been much higher if not for Cline’s acute understanding of the weather and his early hurricane warnings in an era when meteorology was in its infancy and ship-to-shore communications were non-existent.

The National Weather Service is an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and more than 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.

On the Web:
NOAA : http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA’s National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov

The $42,000 project will test the use of the Warning Decision Support System-Integrated Information (WDSS-II), a state-of-the-art radar analysis software tool, to stitch together real-time, high-resolution weather radar data from across the country into a digital mosaic. This new mosaic and software display system will add significant value to the data severe weather forecasters use on a daily basis to develop accurate storm predictions for the United States.

WDSS-II was developed by researchers at the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory and the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

According to Jason Levit, Storm Prediction Center techniques development meteorologist, “Our forecasters will not only benefit from the imagery displayed using the high-resolution mosaic, the new system also applies advanced problem solving techniques to help find certain structures within hazardous weather that could lead to better predictions of severe storms and tornadoes.”

“This project takes developed and proven technology and creates an innovative system that will improve our national mission by testing the use of high-resolution radar data for national severe storms forecasting,” said Joseph Schaefer, director of the NOAA Storm Prediction Center.

SPC is one of 11 chosen grant recipients from 58 applicants within the Department of Commerce in this year’s Pioneer Fund competition. The program gives Commerce employees an opportunity to develop, propose and implement innovative ideas to improve the way their organizations fulfill their missions to best serve the public.

Commerce’s Pioneer Fund provides investment capital for creative projects that turn a relatively small investment of money into noteworthy, cost-effective improvements in quality, productivity and customer service.

The NOAA Storm Prediction Center issues forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous United States. The SPC also monitors heavy rain, heavy snow and fire weather events across the U.S., and issues specific national products for those hazards.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:
NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center: http://www.spc.noaa.gov

“One tropical storm and five hurricanes affecting areas from Florida to the mid-Atlantic states, as well as several outbreaks in four of the last ten days in May contributed to the year’s total number of 1,717 tornado reports in the U.S.,” said Dan McCarthy, SPC’s warning coordination meteorologist. This tops the previous record of 1,424 tornadoes in 1998, and the total of 1,368 in 2003.

Joe Schaefer, director of NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center said, “Even with the record number of tornadoes, storm related fatalities were limited to 35. This shows that timely watches and warnings combined with our strong partnerships with emergency management and the media to convey that information does save lives.” The reported number of 35 deaths attributed to tornadoes is significantly below the usual yearly average for these storm-related fatalities.

Every year, an average of 1,200 tornadoes kill about 55 Americans, injure 1,500 people and cause more than $400 million in damage. Considered nature’s most violent storms, tornadoes can occur any month of the year with peak activity from the months of March through July.

“In 2004, record tornado reports were largely the result of an active hurricane season during August and September. Preliminary numbers indicate a total of 173 tornadoes reported during August,” McCarthy said. This significantly tops the previous August record of 126 tornadoes set in 1979. Other reports for August include: 120 tornadoes in 1994; 115 in 1992; 112 in 1993; and 108 in 1985.

Preliminary data indicate a total of 247 tornadoes reported in September. This significantly tops the previous September record of 139 tornadoes set in 1967, which was mostly attributed to Hurricane Beulah, which produced tornadoes in Texas and parts of Oklahoma. Other years with high tornadic activity for September include: 104 reports in 1998; 101 reports in 1996; and 84 reports in 2001. The average number of tornadoes in the U.S. during September is 47.

“The number of tornadoes associated with tropical storms and hurricanes was extraordinary and can be partially blamed for the high number of overall tornado reports,” McCarthy said. Tropical Storm Bonnie and five land-falling hurricanes -Charley, Frances, Gaston, Ivan and Jeanne- affected the mid-Atlantic and Southeast states during August and September. Tornadoes frequently occur in the northeast quadrant of northward advancing tropical systems or their remnants.

Hurricane Frances produced the most tornadoes for a tropical system with a preliminarily number of 117 reports. Frances tops Hurricane Beulah, which spawned 115 tornadoes in September 1967. Hurricane Ivan was close with 104 tornado reports, and a total of 16 tornadoes were reported in association with Hurricane Jeanne.

“All in all, the year began slowly and the number of tornadoes was below normal through early May, the heart of tornado season. The weather pattern became more conducive for severe weather activity during the last part of May when 445 tornado were reported,” said McCarthy.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:
NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA’s National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov
Storm Prediction Center: http://www.spc.noaa.gov