Preparation is ongoing process for NWS

Dec. 30, 2012-Jan. 5, 2013: After a process that started two months ago, we put the finishing touches on the 2013 storm spotter training calendar. This year there will be six of us providing the training, including three of our newest forecasters.

Jan. 6-Jan. 12: One of my jobs is to help communities be ready when severe weather strikes, and we work on that all year long. We have a program called StormReady, which recognizes communities who can demonstrate they have a plan and are ready to deal with hazardous weather. This week I met with the emergency manager from the city of Tecumseh to discuss the StormReady program, and traveled to Eldorado to present them with their StormReady recognition.

Jan. 13-Jan. 19: There are lots of things that go on within the NWS office to get ready for storm season. This week's activities included a preseason meeting with our senior forecasters, meteorologists who serve as shift leaders on quiet days and coordinators during severe weather events. We also got a chance to meet one of our new TV meteorologist partners and show him our operations. This is a team effort, and we rely on all the team members to be successful.

Jan. 20-Jan. 26: One of the best parts of my job is getting to travel around our warning area and meet with all kinds of people. This week I was in Woodward talking with medical professionals, hospital administrators and emergency medical services about tornado warnings. These folks have to make critical life-or-death decisions based on our warnings, and we're exploring ways to help them with those decisions. I also got to visit Sheppard Air Force Base to present them with their StormReady award.

Jan. 27-Feb. 2: This was another busy week of meetings and travel, working with our partners on a couple of very important projects related to severe weather preparedness. After a morning of helping around the office with severe weather that affected parts of our area, I traveled to Durant to meet with James Dalton, the Durant/Bryan County Emergency Manager, for a series of meetings about upcoming severe weather safety presentations in Durant. It felt very strange to leave the office during a tornado watch, but the office was well-staffed, and the meetings were important. We've developed some unique partnerships thanks to James, and I'm excited about a big safety presentation there at the end of February.

Also in this series

Feb. 3-Feb. 9: We kicked off our storm spotter training season this week, with classes in Guthrie and Wichita Falls, Texas. Both classes had about 90 people show up, and the presentations went very well. The first classes of the season can be a little rough around the edges, but the audiences are usually pretty forgiving. We have a lot of dedicated spotters and public safety personnel who attend these classes year after year. I don't think most people realize the work that some of these folks do to help protect their communities from severe weather, using their own vehicles and gas, their own radio equipment and in many cases their free time to go out and spot storms. Interacting with them is one of the best parts of my job.