SKYWARN
Dallas Area SKYWARN School
15/02/08 21:06
Severe Weather Seminar Scheduled For February 16
by City of Garland News Release
The 2007 storm season in north Texas was one for the history books.
Widespread devastating flooding, large destructive windstorms, tornadoes, and hail all made appearances in our area. The toll on life and property was significant, with dozens of casualties and damage in the tens of millions of dollars.
The 2008 severe weather season is just around the corner. Are you ready for whatever this year has in store? Do you have a severe weather plan at your home and your workplace? Can you recognize the clues that suggest large hail, flash flooding, or a tornado is possible? Do you want to become part of the severe weather warning system in Dallas County?
In partnership with numerous emergency agencies across the county, and with KDFW Fox 4, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Fort Worth will conduct the annual Dallas County Severe Weather Seminar on Saturday, February 16, at the Granville Arts Center, 300 N. 5th St., in Garland.
The Garland Office of Emergency Management will serve as the host agency for the event. As in past years, the seminar will be a full-day event, running from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration will begin at approximately 8 a.m. that morning.
After introductory comments, the program will kick off with a review of severe weather operations at the National Weather Service and severe weather safety. Next will be the baseline storm spotter program. This presentation will emphasize thunderstorm formation, severe weather production, and visual clues associated with severe storms. The morning will wrap up with a presentation from the Fox 4 weather team discussing severe weather operations at their station. A lunch break will follow.
The afternoon presentations will feature more advanced training. The Dallas County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) will discuss spotter operations and hazardous weather reporting in the county. The next presentation will discuss sounding and radar analysis - two tools which increase situational awareness before and during severe weather. The seminar will wrap up with a program on advanced storm concepts by Senior Forecaster Alan Moller. This program will discuss storm-environment interactions, theories on tornado formation, and advances in severe thunderstorm research.
This presentation will mark the end of an era, as 2008 will be Moller’s last year presenting at the Skywarn programs. “Alan was one of the first people in the nation to add scientific material to the storm spotter training program”, said Gary Woodall, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the Fort Worth NWS Office. “Alan’s work over the years has led to a high level of knowledge among storm spotters in north Texas and across the country. He will be missed”.
“Storm spotters play a valuable role in the severe weather warning process”, Woodall added. “We take the spotters’ visual observations and combine them with the data from our Doppler radar. This combination gives us the best possible picture of the storms and what’s going on inside them”.
In addition to the formal presentations, the seminar will feature a variety of exhibits and displays from agencies across the county.
Attendees will be able to talk with local experts and obtain information on family preparedness, amateur radio, and emergency response teams.
The seminar is free, and members of the public are welcome to attend.
“If you come to this program, you will learn a lot about thunderstorms”, Woodall said. “Even if you never become an active storm spotter, you will learn about how storms work and visual clues to utilize when storms are in the area. You’ll have access to safety tips and information to utilize before and during severe weather season. You’ll learn how to monitor the communications between the storm spotters and the National Weather Service. You will be better prepared for the next time Dallas County is visited by severe storms”.
The Dallas County severe weather program is one of over 40 that the Fort Worth NWS Office will conduct between January and April 2008. However, this is one of only a few “in-depth” seminars which will be presented. For more information on severe weather and the National Weather Service, visit the Fort Worth Forecast Office’s website at http://www.weather.gov/fortworth.
Dorothy White
City of Garland
Public and Media Affairs Manager
972-205-2879 - office
214-212-0803 - cell
by City of Garland News Release
The 2007 storm season in north Texas was one for the history books.
Widespread devastating flooding, large destructive windstorms, tornadoes, and hail all made appearances in our area. The toll on life and property was significant, with dozens of casualties and damage in the tens of millions of dollars.
The 2008 severe weather season is just around the corner. Are you ready for whatever this year has in store? Do you have a severe weather plan at your home and your workplace? Can you recognize the clues that suggest large hail, flash flooding, or a tornado is possible? Do you want to become part of the severe weather warning system in Dallas County?
In partnership with numerous emergency agencies across the county, and with KDFW Fox 4, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Fort Worth will conduct the annual Dallas County Severe Weather Seminar on Saturday, February 16, at the Granville Arts Center, 300 N. 5th St., in Garland.
The Garland Office of Emergency Management will serve as the host agency for the event. As in past years, the seminar will be a full-day event, running from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration will begin at approximately 8 a.m. that morning.
After introductory comments, the program will kick off with a review of severe weather operations at the National Weather Service and severe weather safety. Next will be the baseline storm spotter program. This presentation will emphasize thunderstorm formation, severe weather production, and visual clues associated with severe storms. The morning will wrap up with a presentation from the Fox 4 weather team discussing severe weather operations at their station. A lunch break will follow.
The afternoon presentations will feature more advanced training. The Dallas County Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES) will discuss spotter operations and hazardous weather reporting in the county. The next presentation will discuss sounding and radar analysis - two tools which increase situational awareness before and during severe weather. The seminar will wrap up with a program on advanced storm concepts by Senior Forecaster Alan Moller. This program will discuss storm-environment interactions, theories on tornado formation, and advances in severe thunderstorm research.
This presentation will mark the end of an era, as 2008 will be Moller’s last year presenting at the Skywarn programs. “Alan was one of the first people in the nation to add scientific material to the storm spotter training program”, said Gary Woodall, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the Fort Worth NWS Office. “Alan’s work over the years has led to a high level of knowledge among storm spotters in north Texas and across the country. He will be missed”.
“Storm spotters play a valuable role in the severe weather warning process”, Woodall added. “We take the spotters’ visual observations and combine them with the data from our Doppler radar. This combination gives us the best possible picture of the storms and what’s going on inside them”.
In addition to the formal presentations, the seminar will feature a variety of exhibits and displays from agencies across the county.
Attendees will be able to talk with local experts and obtain information on family preparedness, amateur radio, and emergency response teams.
The seminar is free, and members of the public are welcome to attend.
“If you come to this program, you will learn a lot about thunderstorms”, Woodall said. “Even if you never become an active storm spotter, you will learn about how storms work and visual clues to utilize when storms are in the area. You’ll have access to safety tips and information to utilize before and during severe weather season. You’ll learn how to monitor the communications between the storm spotters and the National Weather Service. You will be better prepared for the next time Dallas County is visited by severe storms”.
The Dallas County severe weather program is one of over 40 that the Fort Worth NWS Office will conduct between January and April 2008. However, this is one of only a few “in-depth” seminars which will be presented. For more information on severe weather and the National Weather Service, visit the Fort Worth Forecast Office’s website at http://www.weather.gov/fortworth.
Dorothy White
City of Garland
Public and Media Affairs Manager
972-205-2879 - office
214-212-0803 - cell