September | Issue 11 - 07
|
Connecting Operational Meteorologists in Pursuit of Excellence in Weather Forecasting, Communication and Service.
|
##[Name | First]##,
Thanks for being an NWA member!
|
Click “View Entire Message” at the bottom of this email to see all articles.
|
NWA T-Shirts Still Available!
|
We have a few shirts left from the meeting! Grab your exclusive NWA 48th Annual Meeting shirt for just $25 (plus $8 shipping). Shipping is available within the United States and U.S. Territories. Please note: Payment is due at the time of purchase, and refunds will not be provided.
|
NWA Annual Meeting Succeeds!
|
The 48th NWA Annual Meeting was a resounding success, with 569 registered attendees. This year's meeting brought a whirlwind of accomplishments: interactive NCEP group session workshops, a record-breaking turnout at the RON Meetup, and over 150 showcases demonstrating our members' ingenuity in solving weather-related problems.
The New Probabilistic Forecast Challenge tested our forecasting skills, while the Broadcast Dinner Karaoke tested our vocal cords.
But most important to the NWA Annual Meeting is the camaraderie and friendship that electrifies the air. From showcase tables to bar stools, the foyer and the stage, we connect with old friends and create new ones. We convene to connect our knowledge to the world, and in doing so, we connect to each other.
We are grateful for the opportunity to have brought the weather community together, and we look forward to seeing you next year for the 49th NWA Annual Meeting!
|
2024 Annual Meeting Location: Irving, Texas!
|
NWA 49th Annual Meeting
September 13-18, 2024
Irving Convention Center
Irving, Texas
Hotels to be announced in early 2024.
|
Thank You to Our 2023 Annual Meeting Sponsors!
|
Platinum Sponsors of the NWA Annual Meeting
|
The Weather Company, an IBM business
|
Platinum Cosponsors of the Broadcaster Dinner
|
The Weather Company, an IBM business
|
Platinum Sponsor of the Broadcaster Workshop Lunch
|
Baron Weather
Gray Television
Meteomatics
Midland Radio Corporation
The COMET Program
The Weather Company, an IBM Business
|
University of Missouri School of Natural Resources
WeatherBell Analytics, LLC
WeatherCall
WKU Disaster Science Operations Center
WMVision
|
Congratulations to all the 2023 NWA Annual Award winners! Visit our awards page for a comprehensive list of NWA Annual awards, past winners, and nomination procedures. Nominations are accepted all year round.
|
National Preparedness Month
|
Each September, Ready.gov raises awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters. The Ready Campaign’s 2023 National Preparedness Month theme focuses on preparing older adults for emergencies.
Older adults can face greater risks when it comes to the multitude of extreme weather events, especially if they are living alone, have low-income, have a disability, or live in rural areas.
|
We can increase resilience by taking control in 1, 2, 3.
- Assess your needs. If you have medications that need refrigeration, rely on mobility or assistive devices or have a pet you’ll need to understand how these variables will factor into what you’ll need to stay safe in a disaster or emergency.
- Make a plan. Once you assess your needs, you can tailor your plans to make sure your needs are met. This can include building a kit that includes extra medication, having a way to store medications in an emergency and planning for your pets or service animals.
- Engage your support network. Reaching out to family, friends and neighbors can help you build a support network that can support you before, during and after a disaster or emergency.
|
NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) wants you to be prepared for hazardous weather year-round, and to build a Weather-Ready Nation.
The NWA is proud to be a Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador™.
|
The 2023 National Weather Association Foundation Sol Hirsch Education Fund Grants are awarded to Amanda Carrico, Brandy Masters, Susan Lee, and Marie Stott. Congrats to these outstanding educators!
Sol Hirsch Education Fund Grants are awarded annually to teachers/educators of grades K-12 to help improve the education of their students, their school, and/or their community in the science of meteorology.
The grants were established in 1994 thanks to the generosity of former National Weather Association Executive Director Sol Hirsch and many NWA members, and were transferred to the National Weather Association Foundation in 2017.
By issuing these grants, we're helping educate future meteorologists. Please use the buttons below to donate to the Sol Hirsch grant or any other NWA Foundation Scholarships.
|
Congratulations to the 2023 NWA Foundation Spring Scholarship recipients!
|
Students, applications will reopen this fall and next spring. Stay up-to-date by following us on social media and checking out our website and read more about these winners on our news post.
|
FEMA and FCC Plan Nationwide Emergency Alert Test for Oct. 4, 2023
|
WASHINGTON -- FEMA, in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) this fall. The national test will consist of two portions, testing WEA and EAS capabilities. Both tests are scheduled to begin at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 4.
The WEA portion of the test will be directed to all consumer cell phones. This will be the third nationwide test, but the second test to all cellular devices. The test message will display in either English or in Spanish, depending on the language settings of the wireless handset. The EAS portion of the test will be sent to radios and televisions. This will be the seventh nationwide EAS test.
FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with EAS participants, wireless providers, emergency managers and other stakeholders in preparation for this national test to minimize confusion and to maximize the public safety value of the test.
The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level. In case the Oct. 4 test is postponed due to widespread severe weather or other significant events, the back-up testing date is Oct. 11.
The WEA portion of the test will be initiated using FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), a centralized internet-based system administered by FEMA that enables authorities to send authenticated emergency messages to the public through multiple communications networks. The WEA test will be administered via a code sent to cell phones.
This year the EAS message will be disseminated as a Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) message via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System-Open Platform for Emergency Networks (IPAWS-OPEN).
All wireless phones should receive the message only once. The following can be expected from the nationwide WEA test:
- Beginning at approximately 2:20 p.m. ET, cell towers will broadcast the test for approximately 30 minutes. During this time, WEA-compatible wireless phones that are switched on, within range of an active cell tower, and whose wireless provider participates in WEA, should be capable of receiving the test message.
- For consumers, the message that appears on their phones will read: “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”
- Phones with the main menu set to Spanish will display: “ESTA ES UNA PRUEBA del Sistema Nacional de Alerta de Emergencia. No se necesita acción.”
WEA alerts are created and sent by authorized federal, state, local, tribal and territorial government agencies through IPAWS to participating wireless providers, which deliver the alerts to compatible handsets in geo-targeted areas. To help ensure that these alerts are accessible to the entire public, including people with disabilities, the alerts are accompanied by a unique tone and vibration.
Important information about the EAS test:
- The EAS portion of the test is scheduled to last approximately one minute and will be conducted with the participation of radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers and wireline video providers.
- The test message will be similar to the regular monthly EAS test messages with which the public is familiar. It will state: “This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, covering the United States from 14:20 to 14:50 hours ET. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.
|
Probabilistic Forecast Challenge Winner!
|
Congratulations to Lauren Wallace, Chief Meteorologist at KGPE-TV in Fresno, CA!
Participants were tested on their forecasting skills in the Probabilistic Forecast Challenge, where they predicted the maximum temperature for Kansas City. Lauren achieved the best Brier Score average of 0.11, calculated across four days of the conference.
Thanks to everyone who participated in this inaugural Annual Meeting event, organized by the Weather & Forecasting (WAF) Member Group!
|
New Seal Holder: Sean Bellafiore!
|
What sparked your interest in meteorology?
When I was a kid, I was always interested in the sky and wanted to know more about how "the sky" worked. The real passion started in 2004. My parents and I were in the process of moving to South Florida from New York. My mom had to leave me with my grandparents – three days before Hurricane Frances struck. My grandfather was adamant about riding the storm out at his house, but I guess I made enough of a fuss about being scared and we went to one of the Red Cross shelters. I was such an information sponge in regards to weather that I was giving out weather information and telling folks where I thought the storm was going based off of the one TV the shelter had. I don't think I gave anyone any incorrect information...
|
Student Presentation Competition Winners
|
Graduate Oral Presentation Winner: Joseph Trujillo-Falcón, Probabilistic Information: Is It Useful for Bilingual Speakers?
|
Graduate Showcase Presentation Winners: 1st Place: Megan Borowski, Evaluating HRRR Short-Term forecasts of Sea Breeze Rainfall under different Synoptic Regimes 2nd Place: Leanna Bender, The Development of a Convective Classification Scheme for Mesoscale Snow Events 3rd Place: Craig Croskery, Tornado Sheltering: Challenges and Solutions Including Public Storm Shelters
|
Undergraduate Oral Presentation Winners:
1st Place: Vanessa Dunham, Advancing Risk Communication through a National Survey of Hispanic and Latinos in the United States 2nd Place: Larissa Sperk, Expanding Aviation Applications for the Geostationary Lightning Mapper
|
Undergraduate Showcase Presentation Winners: 1st Place: Allison Harvey, Developing and Improving Tornado Shelter Plans for Mobile and Manufactured Homes 2nd Place: Evan White, GOES-18 Band 7 Barcode Artifact Removal 3rd Place: Angelika Romo, Sounding data and large raindrop pools in thunderstorms crossing the Hudson River Valley, NY.
|
NWA Merchandise: Easy Ordering Guide!
|
You can now order NWA logo apparel and merchandise at the NWA Lands' End storefront.
Here’s how: 1. Visit our storefront 2. Create an account. 3. Select Men's or Women's. (tab at top under search bar) 4. Choose your item. 5. Pick color, size and quantity. 6. Add logo and placement. 7. Click 'Add to Bag' or keep shopping.
|
JOM: Preliminary Use of Convection-allowing Models in Fire Weather
|
ABSTRACT: Multiple high-impact wildfire episodes on the southern Great Plains in 2021/22 provided unique opportunities to demonstrate the emerging utility of Convection-allowing Models (CAMs) in fire-weather forecasting. This short contribution article will present preliminary analyses of the deterministic Texas Tech Real Time Weather Prediction System’s Red Flag Threat Index (RFTI)...
|
JOM: The NOAA Weather Prediction Center’s Use and Evaluation of Experimental Warn-on-Forecast System Guidance
|
ABSTRACT: This study examines the use of experimental Warn-on-Forecast System (WoFS) guidance for short-term flash flood prediction at the NOAA Weather Prediction Center’s Meteorological Watch (Metwatch) desk. The WoFS guidance provides storm-scale ensemble forecasts for individual thunderstorms out to six hours and has previously shown great promise in its predictive skill for heavy rainfall events. Its operational utility was examined during 2019 and 2020...
|
Monthly Top 10 Contributors
|
David Nussbaum Amy Sweezey Laura Mock Morgan Palmer C. Cantwell Trevor Boucher Janice Huff Nate Johnson Bryan Wood Michael White
|
Join the discussions to vie for a top 10 spot next issue!
Haven't joined yet? Here's how:
- Log in to your NWA Member Portal.
- Click on the "Community" tab in your main navigation menu
- Agree to the Terms & Conditions.
You're in! Be sure to take the Community Tour to orient yourself and get started. We will be looking for you in the NWA Community! Come on over!
Community is available on our mobile app!
|
Have you checked out our job page recently? We update the job postings as they arrive, and they've been arriving more frequently. Check out the newest job postings or submit a job posting.
|
Through our NWA App and Social Media.
|
National Weather Association | 3100 Monitor Ave, Suite 123 | Norman OK 73072 | 405.701.5167
Publisher: Janice Bunting, NWA CEO Digital Editor: Valerie Sharp
Submit newsletter items to nwanewsletter@nwas.org using the NWA Newsletter Instructions for Authors
Copyright © 2023 National Weather Association, All rights reserved.
|
|