WeatherBrains 205: Outgoing SPC Chief
WeatherBrains Episode 205 is now online (Dec. 25, 2009). If you are crazy about weather, this is THE netcast audio program for you!
WeatherBrains - December 25, 2009The list of spectacular WeatherBrains guests just keeps getting better. Our guest for this episode is Dr. Joe Schaefer, Director of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK. Dr. Schaefer will be retiring from that position around the first of the upcoming year.
The Storm Prediction Center is responsible for all tornado and severe thunderstorm watches across the United States. His scientific interests focus on synoptic and mesoscale meteorology. He has done extensive work on forecasting techniques, tornado climatology, forecast verification and the application of technology to forecasting.
He began his career as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Evansville, Indiana, in 1963, then served at the National Severe Storms Forecast Center (now SPC), the NWS office in Wichita, Kansas and the NWS office in St. Louis, Missouri. He was a research meteorologist at the Navy Weather Research Facility in Norfolk, Virginia from 1969 to 1971 and held the same position at the National Severe Storms Laboratory from 1971 to 1976. He became chief of the Techniques Development Unit of the National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City, serving until 1983 when he was named chief of the Scientific Services Division of the National Weather Service Central Region, also in Kansas City. From 1991 to 1995 he was director of the NWS Training Center in Kansas City, then was named director of the Storm Prediction Center.
In February, 2003, Joe received the Reichelderfer Award from the American Meteorological Society. In 1990, he received the Department of Commerce bronze medal for his warning verification work, and in 1993, he received an American Meteorological Society editor’s award. He has published more than three dozen articles in professional literature and has written chapters in four textbooks. He is a member of the National Weather Association, American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union, Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society and the Missouri Academy of Sciences. He is a past president of the National Weather Association, a fellow of the AMS, a former chair of the AMS Severe Local Storms Committee and a past member of the AMS Committee on Fellows. He is an adjunct full professor at the University of Oklahoma and has taught at St. Louis University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and Kansas City, Kansas Community College. He is currently the chair of the AMS Board on Certified Consulting Meteorologists.
Other discussions in this weekly podcast include topics like:
From The Weather Center:
WeatherBrains 101:The professor has gone off the deep end this week. Since it is Christmas time, he can’t help himself and reads from one of his favorite Christmas stories.
TWIWH: Bill Murray looks back at the week of December 29th. Severe freeze in Florida got a town to change its name. Plus a late season hurricane that even crossed into the new year.
Web Sites from Episode 205:
Picks of the Week:
Dr. Tim Coleman – Technology Tim
Brian Peters – Severe Weather Forecast Tools from SPC
The WeatherBrains crew includes your host, James Spann, plus other notable geeks like JB Elliott, Dr. Tim Coleman, Bill Murray, and Brian Peters. They bring together a wealth of weather knowledge and experience for another fascinating netcast about weather.
We love to hear from you! Feel free to post comments to the site and drop us an email at email at (at symbol) weatherbrains dot com.
Bastardi’s forecasts were previously offered free to the public on Accuweather’s main site. However, in the early-2000s, Accuweather launched its “professional site,” and his forecasts were made available to paying subscribers only. He also forecasts for corporate clients. Despite his recent focus on private forecasting, Bastardi frequently appears on cable news channels, such as CNN and Fox News during storms.
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