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Monthly Newsletter of the
Central North Carolina Chapter
of the American Meteorological
Society
Volume: 1
Number: 8
Upcoming Meeting:
DATE: Thursday, April 20th
SPEAKER: Roni Avissar, W.H.
Gardner Professor and Chair of the
Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering at Duke University
LOCATION: Room 1132, Jordan Hall
NC State University
TOPIC: New engineered tools for
atmospheric research and improved
weather and environmental forecasting.
ABSTRACT: Over the past five years,
we have expanded the well-known
Regional Atmospheric Modeling System
(RAMS) into a state-of-the-art Earth
System Model (ESM). Unlike the
current generation of global climate
models (GCMs), OLAM solves a finitevolume analog of the full compressible
Navier-Stokes equations in conservation
form. Its grid configuration enables local
mesh refinement to any degree without
the need for special grid nesting
algorithms. This capability is
particularly advantageous for studying
multiscale complex interactions between
local, regional and global weather events
and climate processes and to better
understand the implications of local
and/or regional change on the global
climate and vice versa. While the
dynamical core of OLAM is completely
new, its physics are borrowed from
RAMS, thus enjoying reliable and robust
From March 2006
parameterizations, including landsurface processes, clouds, radiation and
turbulence. In their latest version,
RAMS and OLAM are coupled with
ED2, the second generation of the
Ecosystem Demography model.
Simultaneously with this modeling
effort, we have also developed the
Helicopter Observation Platform (HOP),
a new aircraft facility that can be used
for in situ and remote measurements at
very low altitude and very slow speed.
The HOP is currently equipped with
sensors for measuring fluxes of carbon
dioxide, moisture and sensible heat at a
resolution never achieved before by
other research aircraft (see video clip at
www.hop.cee.duke.edu).
In this talk, I will introduce OLAM and
demonstrate its capability to simulate
hurricanes as well as produce large-eddy
simulations. I will also introduce the
HOP and demonstrate its capability to
make accurate measurements of surface
fluxes.
As a friendly reminder, dues are $10 ($5
for student members) for the year, with
half the dues going towards the
Academic Achievement Fund.
Donations to the Academic Achievement
Fund are also welcome, and are tax
deductible.
March Business Notes:
March Speaker:
Education & Outreach:
Lt. Col. Mike Moss, of the 2nd Weather
Flight/Air Combat Command
 The Education and Outreach
Committee has started their search
Academic Achievement Award
nominees
 Marvin Maddox represented the
Chapter at the State Science Fair.
Marvin awarded a certificate to
Nilveen Abdeljaber of the
Charlotte Islamic School. Her
project was in the Senior
Earth/Environmental Project
category, and was entitled "Air
Pollution in Charlotte". The
projected involved measured
particulate pollution at five
locations in Charlotte, concluding
downtown Charlotte had the most
particulates.
Of Note:
Dr. Peter Robinson was honored
as the “Tarheel of the Week” in
the February 26th edition of the
News and Observer. For the full
article see:
http://www.newsobserver.com/16
6/story/411951.html
Attendance:
We had 30 members and guests in
attendance at the March meeting. Last
year’s March meeting was cancelled due
to wintry weather.
Volume 1
“Weather Support to Collation Forces
Land Component Command.”
Lt. Col. Moss started his talk describing
what most people know him for, his
work as a meteorologist with WRAL
TV. Then Mike went through the history
of how he became involved in Air Force
weather. Mike originally started off in
Army ROTC at NC State in the 70’s. He
moved from Army to Air force ROTC
after realizing he could do more with
weather in the employ of the Air force.
After finishing at NCSU Mike worked
for the Air Weather Service at Pope Air
Force Base just outside Fayetteville, NC.
His duties as a duty forecaster and Wing
Weather Officer included forecasting for
flights and parachute drops.
After working there for 3 years, Mike
moved on to what is now the Air Force
Research Laboratory in Florida. Once
there, Mike focused on pollution related
to Air Force efforts, such as emission
from the engines used in various planes
and emissions from weapons. In 2004,
Mike then transferred to the 2nd Weather
Flight out of Fort McPherson in Georgia,
where he was responsible to the Third
US Army/FORSCOM as a staff weather
officer.
Mike went on reserve status and in June
2005 was called on by the Third US
Army to serve a tour in the Middle East.
Mike went to Camp Arifjan, which is 45 miles inland of Kuwait, where he
served with 3 other meteorologists as
staff weather officers. Major duties
included a twice-daily briefing to the
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March 2006
generals and video teleconferences to all
major theaters of action and office in the
states.
The basic information the military need
from the meteorologist is the level of
impact on operations. Bad weather has
obvious implication to troop movement
and missions in the war zone, but can
also wreak havoc on the shipment of
supplies and the movement of troops
from the states to the main area of
conflict. The meteorologists also have to
supply information one whether solar
flares will affect communications.
The biggest weather problem in the
Middle East is the dust and sand storms.
Storm would generally arise when winds
would come out of the northwest, known
as the shamal winds. These dust and
sand storm could obscure visibility
making it impossible for supply convoys
and helicopters to make rounds.
To help forecast the shamal winds and
resulting dust storms, the 3-person crew
in Kuwait had the ability to pool
resources with several meteorological
centers back in the US. JAAWIN, or the
Joint Air Force and Army Weather
Information Network, provided satellite
data and model data. The wind profile
from the GFS was particularly helpful in
determining the shamal winds. The team
in Kuwait also had contact with the 28th
Operation Weather Squadron out of
Shaw, SC. They were able to chat over
the internet in weather discussion to
correlate what people were seeing on the
ground in the various theaters of
operation to other data. The 28th
Operation Weather Squadron also added
in a dust transport application, which
was a coupling of MM5 and a transport
model. The tool would forecast dust
storm and visibility conditions for the
Volume 1
region, and when used with the GFS
profiles proved a good forecasting tool.
To brief incoming soldiers on what
conditions to expect Mike and the other
Meteorologists in the 3rd Army would
also pull together climatology reports
and quarterly weather conditions. To
generate this product, they worked with
the AFCCC, or Air Force Combat
Climatology Center in Asheville, NC.
Mike shared a satellite loop of a dust
storm that lasted 2 to 3 days. The
satellite data became very useful, as you
could see identify intense dust storm
when lakes became obscured on satellite
imagery.
In addition to the shamal wind induced
dust storm, there were convective wind
induced sand storm called haboobs.
These appeared as menacing vertical
walls of sand that would engulf an area
for shorter periods of time.
In addition to his regular forecast duties,
Mike and his team also provided
forecasts for BRIGHT STAR, a two day
military exercise in Egypt; and relief
operations in Pakistan after the October
2005 earthquake.
Mike concluded his talk with stunning
picture of haboobs, satellite imagery of
oil fires, and a view of how they
protected the met tower from the sand
storms.
A blog of Mike’s experiences in Kuwait,
including some pictures, can be found at:
http://html.wral.com/sh/blogger/dutycall
s.html
To learn more about JAAWIN:
http://www.eustis.army.mil/WEATHER/
index.htm
Number 8
March 2006
To learn more about the AFCCC:
https://notus2.afccc.af.mil/SCISPublic/
Weather Website of the Month:
As site for anyone doing outreach:
In collaboration with NOAA, NASA
created the SciJinks website:
If you have someone you would like to
know more about, please submit their
name to me ([email protected])
prior to the next regularly scheduled
meeting. We can then feature them in the
Member Spotlight.
http://scijinks.nasa.gov
to present the wild world of weather
and introduce the basic concepts of
meteorology and the role of
technology in monitoring and
protecting the environment. This
website is aimed at middle school
children but is equally as fun and
educational for adults.
Sponsored by:
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestion?
Ideas for speakers? Email your
officers:
The Annual Chapter Banquet is
Friday May 5th at the Cardinal
Club in downtown Raleigh.
Chair: Mike Abraczinskas
[email protected]
Social Hour with cash bar starts at
6:30, with Dinner and Program at
7:30.
Vice Chair: Jim Paumier
[email protected]
Treasurer: Wyat Appel
[email protected]
Secretary: Bebhinn Do
[email protected]
Education Chair: George Bridgers
[email protected]
Volume 1
There are three meal options, so
RSVP is required by April 28th.
Further information, including
RSVP form and directions can be
found on the Chapter website:
http://www.ncclimate.ncsu.edu/ams/banquet.
htm
Number 8
March 2006
Monthly Newsletter of the
Central North Carolina Chapter
of the American Meteorological
Society
Volume: 1
Number: 7
Upcoming Meeting:
From February 2006
half the dues going towards
Academic Achievement Fund.
the
Meeting: Thursday, March 16, 2006
SPEAKER: Lt Col Mike Moss, 2nd
Weather Flight/Air Combat Command
LOCATION: Room 1132, Jordan Hall
NC State University
TOPIC: Weather Support Operations at
Coalition Forces Land Component
Command (Forward)
ABSTRACT: Military operations at all
levels include a requirement for
information on expected weather
conditions and how those conditions will
help or hinder mission success. From
June through October 2005, Capitol
Broadcasting/WRAL-TV meteorologist
and Air Force Reserve officer Mike
Moss was activated and deployed to
Kuwait to serve as Third U.S. Army
Staff Weather Officer. He will discuss
the deployment and some of the
operational challenges and interesting
meteorological events that arose during
the period, and give an overview of the
tools, products and procedures used by
Air Force weather personnel in support
of
Echelon-above-Corps
Army
operations.
As a friendly reminder, dues are $10 ($5
for student members) for the year, with
Donations to the Academic Achievement
Fund are also welcome, and are tax
deductible.
February Business Notes:
It was suggested that the chapter
look into organizing an alumni night
at the Annual AMS meeting. Several
other schools hold alumni mixers as
a way to bring colleagues back
together. It was decide that the
officers would look into it for future
AMS meetings.
We are looking for nominations for
officers. Please Mike Abraczinskas
([email protected])
if you are interested in being an
officer.
SAVE THE DATE:
The annual End of Year Banquet
will be held on Friday May 5th at the
Cardinal Club. An RSVP card with
menu options and pricing
information has been sent out and is
now available at: http://www.ncclimate.ncsu.edu/ams/CNCCAMS_Banquet_Invitation.htm
February Speaker:
Steve Harned, CCM
Atlantic States Weather, Inc.
“Forensic Meteorology”
Forensics is the application of science to
a legal case to find the truth. Forensic
meteorology uses meteorological and
climatological data to reconstruct
weather events for specific locations.
A forensic meteorologist acquires and
analyzes a vast array of data to advise
the client on the importance of the
weather for the case at hand.
Occasionally the meteorologist will
prepare a written report for the case, or
visual aid for presentations.
Additionally, a forensic meteorologist is
expected to deliver expert testimony in
court and may even be asked to evaluate
the opinion of an opposing expert.
Forensic meteorologist can work on a
range of cases ranging from civil
litigation, such as personal injury and
vehicle accidents; criminal litigation,
such as murders and burglary; to
investment cases such as insurance
claims. Meteorologists have been called
in on cases such as the Pan-Am 103
bombing case, Oklahoma City bombing
case, the OJ Simpson trial, and the
Michael Peterson trial.
Steve then provided examples of cases
he has personally worked on, involving
injury due to trees downed by Tropical
Storm Hanna, liability in a house
flooding in Cary, NC, and in suit
involving an accident where a drive was
blinded by the morning sun.
Volume 1
To become a forensic meteorologist, you
need at least 10 years of academic or
practical experience to be deemed
credible in the legal system. A forensic
meteorologist must be able to
reconstruct weather conditions at
different points of interest miles from the
nearest observation, produce reports on
the conditions in layman’s terms, and
perform well under the stress of the
courtroom.
Steve noted two keys to being a forensic
meteorologist are to diligently continue
your professional development (i.e. stay
current with the science) and become an
AMS designated Certified Consulting
Meteorologist (CCM). Becoming a
CCM is important as the meteorology
profession is largely unregulated, and the
CCM for the AMS is one of the few
credentials for a meteorologist that
asserts your proficiency in the field.
To become a CCM you must have
worked in the field for 5 years, then get
three letters of recommendation from
associates in the field. You then must
pass a stringent written exam, and then
an oral exam in front of the AMS
national board of examiners at a national
AMS meeting. Steve recommends
giving a year to go through the process
(i.e. start sometime in January after the
most recent AMS meeting). After
submitting your three letters of
reference, you will receive the written
test of challenging focused questions.
You will have 3 months to work on the
questions, so pace yourself to about 2
per week. You will then have to send in
your answers along with an example of a
written document you have composed.
After your test is graded and your report
is examined, you will report to the
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February 2006
annual meeting for your oral exam.
CCMs on the board can ask you
anything during the oral exam, and the
intensity of the oral exam is usually
dependent on how well you perform on
your written exam. Not everyone passes
the CCM exam, but Steve highly
recommends taking the exam, as there is
a lot of professional benefit to it.
For more information on Atlantic States
Weather, Inc. please visit:
http://www.asweather.com/
For more information on the AMS
Certified Consulting Meteorologist
(CCM) please see:
http://www.ametsoc.org/memb/ccm/ccm
home.html
instruments.
Nathan Lee, 5th grader at Cooper
Elementary in Clayton, for "The Great
Cloud Caper".
Nathan was investigating the
relationship between temperature,
humidity, and clouds. Nathan had built
an experimental apparatus consisting of
a large, flexible bottle filled with water,
into which smoke was injected to
provide condensation nuclei. He varied
the temperature of the water, and noted
that more clouds formed when the water
temperature was increased.
Eastern Regional Science Fair:
Attendance:
“Rainfall Runoff”, by Spencer Cosgrove
from Roland Grice Middle School in
New Hanover County.
We had 40 members and guests in
attendance at the February meeting.
Last year’s February meeting was attend
by 31 members and guests.
“Removing Salts from Water”, by Laurel
Yelverton from Wilmington Christian
Academy High School.
“Dust Kills” by Kelly Dickie from
Swansboro Middle School.
2006 Science Fair Certificate
Recipients:
Weather Website
of the Month:
Central Regional Science Fair:
Sarah McCorkle, third grader at
Creedmoor Elementary School, for "The
Atmosphere and the Effect it has on our
Weather".
Sarah had been inspired to become
involved in a Meteorology project
following a presentation by Elizabeth
Gardner of WRAL. Sarah had built her
own weather station: aneroid barometer,
rain gauge, anemometer, etc. and was
able to give a good explanation of her
Volume 1
The 86th AMS Annual
Meeting was held last
January in Atlanta,
GA. We take this time to recognize local
meteorologist who presented talks or
posters at the conference. For the
recorded presentations and extended
abstracts, please see:
http://ams.confex.com/ams/Annual2006/
techprogram/meeting_Annual2006.htm
or the hyperlinks in the titles.
Number 7
February 2006
Franzese, J. D. Albertson, and A.
Radicchi
Physical Mechanisms Associated With
the Variability of Lake Victoria Basin
Climate Richard Anyah, North
Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and
F. Semazzi and L. Xie (Poster)
Effects of sub-grid scale terrain in
meteorology and air quality
modeling Carlie J. Coats, Jr., Baron
Advanced Meteorological Systems,
Raleigh, NC; and M. T. Odman
Improved Operation of Reservoir
Systems – Utility of Seasonal and
Monthly Updated Climate
Forecasts Sankar Arumugam, North
Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and
U. Lall
A comparative assessment of ammonia
emissions from water-holding structures
at swine facilities with different
technologies for animal waste
treatment S. Pal Arya, North Carolina
State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and V. P.
Aneja, I. Rumsey, and H. Semunegus
The role of Gulf Stream Warm Core
Eddies on East Coast Winter
Storms Matthew P. Borkowski, North
Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and
S. Raman and G. M. Lackmann
Evaluation and applications of NCEP
Stage II and Stage IV gage-corrected
radar precipitation estimates over the
Carolinas; Ryan Boyles, North Carolina
State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and S. Raman,
A. Sims, S. Schwab, K. Horgan, M.
Brooks, and A. Frazier
Development of weather and climate
decision support tools for agricultural
applications; Mark Brooks, North
Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and
B. Shew, A. P. Sims, A. Baker, R.
Boyles, and S. Raman
Lagrangian stochastic modelling of
concentration fluctuations in
atmospheric flows; Massimo Cassiani,
Duke Univ., Durham, NC; and P.
Volume 1
Reduced atmospheric CH4 consumption
by temperate forest soils under elevated
CO2 Lindsay Dubbs, University of
North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC; and S.
C. Whalen and E. N. Fischer
A five-year climatology of elevated
severe convective storms in the United
States east of the Rocky
Mountains Katherine L. Horgan, North
Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC,
Raleigh, NC; and D. M. Schultz, R. H.
Johns, S. F. Corfidi, and J. E. Hales
(Poster)
Implementation and testing of a new
aerosol module in WRF/chem Xiaoming
Hu, North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh,
NC; and Y. zhang
Process Analysis of Different Synoptic
Patterns of O3 Episodes in Hong Kong
Jianping Huang, North Carolina State
Univ., Raleigh, NC; and J. C. H. Fung,
Y. Zhang, K.-H. Lau, and Y. Qin
Development and Application of CFD
Simulations Supporting Urban Air
Quality and Homeland Security Alan H.
Huber, NOAA/ERL/ARL, Research
Triangle Park, North Carolina; and M.
Freeman, R. Spencer, B. Bell, K.
Kuehlert, and W. Schwarz
Process Analysis of Different Synoptic
Patterns of O3 Episodes in Hong
Kong Jianping Huang, North Carolina
Number 7
February 2006
State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and J. C. H.
Fung, Y. Zhang, K.-H. Lau, and Y. Qin
Univ., Raleigh, NC; and F. Semazzi
(Poster)
An operational numerical model haze
forecasting system for the
CONUS Robert E. Imhoff, Baron
Advanced Meteorological Systems,
Candler, NC; and D. T. Olerud, R. L.
Miller, J. Vukovich, and J. F. Fox
The emergence of numerical air quality
forecasting models and their application
Kenneth Schere, NOAA/ERL/ARL,
Research Triangle Park, NC; and V. S.
Bouchet, G. W. Grell, J. N. McHenry,
and S. A. McKeen
Application and Evaluation of MM5 for
North Carolina with a 4-km Horizontal
Grid Spacing; Srinath Krishnan, North
Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and
S.-Y. Wu, D. Hamilton, Y. Zhang, and
V. P. Aneja
Urban effects on the convergence and
convection over Chennai,
India Matthew Simpson, North
Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and
S. Raman, U. C. Mohanty, and R. Suresh
Sensitivity of WRF/Chem Predictions to
Meteorological Schemes Chris Misenis,
North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh,
NC; and X. Hu, S. Krishnan, Y. Zhang,
and J. D. Fast
Results of Coupling the WRF-Chemistry
model w/ the SMOKE Emissions
Processing/Modeling System; John
McHenry, Baron Advanced
Meteorological Systems, Raleigh, NC;
and C. J. Coats, Jr. and J. Vukovich
Adiabatic lapse rates in tornadic
environments Matthew D. Parker,
North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC
(poster)
Implementation and evaluation of a
continental US air quality forecast
system Donald T. Olerud, Jr., Baron
Advanced Meteorological Systems,
Raleigh, NC
Regional Impact of Climate Change on
Water Resources over Eastern
Mediterranean: Euphrates-Tigris
Basin Baris Onol, North Carolina State
Volume 1
Supporting Real-Time Air Quality
Forecasting using the SMOKE modeling
system; Jeff Vukovich, Baron
Advanced Meteorological Systems,
LLC., Raleigh, NC; and D. T. Olerud, J.
N. McHenry, C. J. Coats, and W. T.
Smith
Case Study of the Late July 2005
Ground-Level Ozone Episode in North
Carolina; Nicholas C. Witcraft, North
Carolina Division of Air Quality,
Raleigh, NC; and G. M. Bridgers, B. Do,
P. O' Reilly, and L. Marufu (Poster)
The application of WRF-Climate in the
East Africa: the customization of buffer
zones Xuejin Zhang, North Carolina
State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and L. Xie, F.
H. M. Semazzi, and X.-Z. Liang
(Poster)
Probing into Regional O3 and PM
Pollution: A 1-year CMAQ Simulation
and Process Analysis over the United
States; Yang Zhang, North Carolina
State Univ., Raleigh, NC; and K.
Vijayaraghavan, J. Huang, and M. Z.
Jacobson
Number 7
February 2006
We would also like to recogonize Greg
Fishel, Chief Meteorologist at WRALTV. Greg received an award
recogonizing his work on the Certified
Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM)
program for the National AMS.
In early February the National Air
Quality Conference took place in San
Antonio, TX. The conference included
talks from local meteorologists
including:
Case Study of the Late July 2005
Ground-Level Ozone Episode in
North Carolina George Bridgers, North
Carolina Division of Air Quality
A Comparison of PM2.5 Data in the
AIRNow and Air Quality System
Databases Katina Gracien Orelien (
North Carolina State University)
and various employees from US EPA in
RTP. For more information please see:
http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=conf
erence2006.index
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestion?
Ideas for speakers? Email your officers:
Chair: Mike Abraczinskas
[email protected]
Vice Chair: Jim Paumier
[email protected]
Treasurer: Wyat Appel
[email protected]
It’s that time of year again . . . We’re looking
for people to be a part of the nominating
committee and the brave few willing to serve
the CNCC-AMS as officers. It’s only a small
monthly time commitment. Anyone can put
their name on the ballot (so students feel free to
volunteer – it’s a nice thing to have on the
resume); the only requirement placed on any of
the offices is that the President must be a
member of the National AMS.
If you are interested in what any of the positions
entail, email your current officers for a run
down of the job duties.
So, if you’ve never been an officer, or even if
you’ve done it before, consider volunteering for
a position for 2006-2007.
Secretary: Bebhinn Do
[email protected]
Education Chair: George Bridgers
[email protected]
Volume 1
Number 7
February 2006
Monthly Newsletter of the
Central North Carolina Chapter
of the American Meteorological
Society
Volume: 1
Number: 6
Upcoming Meeting:
Meeting: Thursday, February 16, 2006
SPEAKER: Steve Harned-CCM
Atlantic States Weather, Inc.
LOCATION: Room 1132, Jordan Hall
NC State University
TOPIC: Forensic Meteorology
ABSTRACT: “Forensic Meteorology”
is the application of climatology and/or
meteorological and hydrological
concepts to legal cases and related
investigations in which weather was a
factor. Examples of how forensic
meteorology was applied to cases
involving damages and injuries
associated with high winds, torrential
rains, and blinding sunlight will be
presented. Additionally, information
will be presented outlining what it takes
to become a forensic meteorologist and
why one would wish to pursue this
aspect of the profession in which only a
very few practice.
As a friendly reminder, dues are $10 ($5
for student members) for the year, with
half the dues going towards the
Academic Achievement Fund.
From January 2006
Donations to the Academic Achievement
Fund are also welcome, and are tax
deductible.
January Business Notes:
Education & Outreach:
Please email George Bridgers
([email protected]) if
you are interested in judging the
regional or state Science Fair.
With the change in parking at Jordan
Hall, we are once again opening the
floor to meeting place options. If you
have any ideas, please email one of
your officers.
SAVE THE DATE:
The annual End of Year Banquet
will be held on Friday May 5th at the
Cardinal Club. An RSVP card with
menu options and price will be
circulated in the coming weeks.
Attendance:
We had 23 members and guests in
attendance at the January meeting. Last
year’s January meeting was attend by 19
members and guests.
became an overarching theme of the
plan.
January Speaker:
Dr. Walter Bach,
Army Research Laboratory
Key points of the plan include:
“Federal Research and Development
Needs, and Priorities for Atmospheric
Transport and Diffusion Modeling.”
The Joint Action Group (JAG) for the
Office of the Federal Coordinator for
Meteorological Services and Supporting
Research developed a report outlining a
research and development plan for
providing the atmospheric transport and
dispersion (ATD) modeling capabilities
needed to meet the established needs of
the community.
The users of ATD modeling can vary
widely, and include first responders,
such as the Department of Homeland
Security, emergency response and
preparedness planners, military and
those in the air quality modeling
community. These user work on a local,
regional and national scale and are
generally concerned with public safety.
The users of ATD modeling require an
accurate answer while being able to
understand and quantify the uncertainty
in the model.
The JAG focused on what could be done
to improve transport, concentration, and
deposition. The improvement needs to
these areas were identified through
consultation with users, and included the
use of complex terrain, techniques to
better calculate wet and dry deposition,
improvement of boundary layer
measurement techniques, and improved
quality assurance/quality control check
on data used in modeling. The need to
quantify the uncertainty of the modeling
Volume 1

The need to capture and use
existing data, including the need
to collect and store the results of
field experiments, both actual
data and oral accounts of the
study, in a useful and meaningful
way.

The need to develop model
evaluation standards. Currently
there is no standard method for
evaluation models across the
federal agencies. Plans to use the
Standard and Development
Organization to develop a
standard for model evaluation.

The need to resolve
transportation, diffusion, and
model grid scales. Microscale
and Mesoscale modeling is fairly
well developed; however, there is
a gap in modeling when it come
to the boundary layer and surface
layer. This gap corresponds to a
gap in measurements at the same
horizontal scale. Approaches to
closing this gap include wind
tunnel research, high-resolution
modeling/large eddy simulations,
improved measurements in the
boundary layer, and overall
bettering the science and
understanding.
For more on the report of the Joint
Action Group for the Office of the
Federal Coordinator for Meteorological
Services and Supporting Research,
please see the following website:
Number 6
January 2006
http://www.ofcm.gov/r23/r23-2004/fcmr23.htm
Dr. Bach ended the presentation at 8:25,
and after questions, the meeting was
adjourned at 9:37 p.m.
Weather Website of the Month:
What happened to winter? The U.S. had
its warmest January on record, with an
average temperature 8.5 degrees F (4.7
degrees C) above the 110 year average,
according to the National Climatic Data
Center. To read more about this odd
weather go to:
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2
006/s2576.htm
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestion?
Ideas for speakers? Email your officers:
Chair: Mike Abraczinskas
[email protected]
Vice Chair: Jim Paumier
[email protected]
Treasurer: Wyat Appel
[email protected]
Secretary: Bebhinn Do
[email protected]
Education Chair: George Bridgers
[email protected]
Volume 1
It’s that time of year again . . . We’re
looking for people to be a part of the
nominating committee and the brave few
willing to serve the CNCC-AMS as officers.
It’s only a small monthly time commitment.
Anyone can put their name on the ballot (so
students feel free to volunteer – it’s a nice
thing to have on the resume); the only
requirement placed on any of the offices is
that the President must be a member of the
National AMS.
If you are interested in what any of the
positions entail, email your current officers
for a run down of the job duties.
So, if you’ve never been an officer, or even
if you’ve done it before, consider
volunteering for a position for 2006-2007.
Number 6
January 2006
Monthly Newsletter of the
Central North Carolina Chapter
of the American Meteorological
Society
Volume: 1
Number: 5
Upcoming Meeting:
From December 2005
December Business Notes:
Meeting: Thursday, January 19, 2006
Education & Outreach:
SPEAKER: Dr. Walter D. Bach, Jr.
Program Manager, Atmospheric
Sciences, Army Research Office
 The State Science Fair will be
held on Meredith College
Campus on March 25th.
http://www.ncsta.org/sciencefair/
LOCATION: Room 1132, Jordan Hall
NC State University
TOPIC: Federal Research and
Development Needs and Priorities for
Atmospheric Transport and Diffusion
ABSTRACT: Dr. Bach will discuss the
efforts of the Joint Action Group (JAG)
for the Office of the Federal Coordinator
for Meteorological Services and
Supporting Research, which addresses
atmospheric transport and diffusion
research and development needs based
on user-community needs. The report
developed by the JAG recommends a
number of strategies to address those
needs in order to provide a reliable
capability to use atmospheric transport
and diffusion as an instrument of local
and national emergency response or
planning.
As a friendly reminder, dues are $10 ($5
for student members) for the year, with
half the dues going towards the
Academic Achievement Fund.
 The Central Regional Fair will be
held at Hillside High School in
Durham on march 4th.
 Please email George Bridgers
([email protected]) if
you are interested in judging at
either of these events.
Banquet:
 This year’s banquet will be held
at the Cardinal Club. The event
will be sponsored in part by
Steve Harned and Atlantic State
Weather, Inc.
 The Cardinal Club sits atop the
Wachovia building in downtown
Raleigh, with the dinning room
offering charming vistas of the
downtown area.
http://www.cardinal-club.com/
 RSVP card with menu options
will be sent out in the coming
weeks. Keep an eye out.
December Speaker:
Preston Williams,
Support Manager at Raleigh-Durham
International Airport (RDU) Air Traffic
Tower
“The Effects of Weather on Air Traffic
Controllers and the National Airspace
Systems.”
Air traffic controllers are employees of
the US Department of Transportation
under the FAA. Controllers get planes
from point A to Point B without getting
in each other’s way by following a set of
basic rules for the two environments of
air space.
The first environment is called
“terminal”, which is the airport space in
which planes are cleared for take off and
landing. In the terminal environment
planes are in the process of accelerating
and decelerating, but once at cruising
speed planes are kept 3 nautical miles
apart. A 1000-foot clearance is kept
while passing over or under other planes,
and while passing over cities and terrain
surrounding the airport.
The second environment is know as “en
route” is cruising heights of 10000 to
12000 feet. Plane must keep 5 nm apart
in the horizontal, with a 2000-foot
clearance between planes in the vertical.
When a plane breaks any one of these
parameters it is known as a “deal”, and
an air traffic controller must alert the
pilots and correct the situation.
All weather has some effect on air traffic
control, so data from various instruments
is used to keep informed of the weather.
Air traffic controllers use ASOS station
data from the airport, as well as
Volume 1
additional measurements from the tower.
The tower has instruments to indicate
tower visibility, and additional wind
readings. A digital altimeter setting
indicator provides the altimeter setting,
which is relayed to pilots when entering
the control tower’s range. The lower
portion of the RDU air traffic control
tower has RADAR terminals, where
controllers can monitor precipitation and
winds.
Precipitation in monitored via RADAR,
and is given intensity rates similar to the
old VIP levels. Generally, planes can
navigate around thunderstorm and
heavier cells with the help of air traffic
controllers. Another precipitation related
issue is ice accrual on the wings of the
plane. This is often corrected by
directing the plane to higher or lower
altitude so the ice will melt. Upper level
temperatures are gathered from the
planes themselves.
The runways at an airport are oriented
along the prevailing wind directions of
the area, which are determined from a
study of 100 years of wind
measurements for the area. Should the
wind switch directions, members of the
air traffic control tower may have to
decide to “switch the boat” or switch
which set of runways are used. The
controls use the Doppler RADAR at the
airport to make such decisions. The
Terminal Doppler Weather RADAR
(TDWR) display show gust fronts and
give projection of their movement.
Fog can prove problematic, especially
when the ceiling is lower than the
observation tower. When visibility is
severely impaired only highly equipped
planes can land, the distance between
planes is increased, and the tower must
Number 5
December 2005
rely on pilots to verify they have cleared
the runway. There are also sophisticated
computer programs that can help track
planes and service vehicles on the
tarmac in such cases.
Mr. Williams admitted air traffic control
is a young person’s job. In fact, that will
not hire someone older than 31, and
retirement is at 56. The job can be
stressful, but Mr. Williams also noted it
could be fun. After an audio example of
how fun it could be, Mr. Williams
opened the floor to questions and the
meeting was adjourned at 9:25 PM.
For more information on air traffic
control, or becoming a controller, please
visit:
Weather Website of the Month:
With Valentines Day rapidly
approaching, are you looking for
something to get that special
meteorologist in your life? Why not the
latest book from Dr. Peter Robinson:
North Carolina Weather and Climate.
The book is available through UNC
Press:
http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/default.htm
The book features a forward by Greg
Fishel, which mentions our chapter.
Also, Dr. Robinson has offered to sign
copies at our regular meetings.
http://www.faa.gov/airports_airtraffic/weath
er/
Attendance:
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestion?
Ideas for speakers? Email your officers:
We had 33 members and guests in
attendance at the December meeting.
Last year’s September meeting was
attend by 26 member and guests.
Chair: Mike Abraczinskas
[email protected]
Vice Chair: Jim Paumier
[email protected]
Treasurer: Wyat Appel
[email protected]
Secretary: Bebhinn Do
[email protected]
Education Chair: George Bridgers
[email protected]
Do you have a website that you want
featured? Do you have someone you
want featured in the Member Spotlight?
Do you have anything to share with the
group? Email:
[email protected] or
[email protected]
Volume 1
Number 5
December 2005
Monthly Newsletter of the
Central North Carolina Chapter
of the American Meteorological
Society
Volume: 1
Number: 4
From November 2005
Upcoming Meeting:
September Business Notes:
DATE: Thursday, December 8th
Education & Outreach:
SPEAKER: Preston Williams, Air
Traffic Control at RDU International
Airport
 Science fairs:
o Statewide science fair will
run between late February
and early March.
o Central region (Raleigh area)
is March 4th. The location has
yet to be determined.
o If you are interested in
helping with judging, please
contact George Bridgers.
[email protected]
LOCATION: Room 1132, Jordan Hall
NC State University
TOPIC: The Effects of Weather on Air
Traffic Controllers and the National
Airspace System
ABSTRACT: This presentation will
describe the various systems the air
traffic controller has at his or her
disposal to collect weather information,
disseminate it to pilots, and use that
information in air traffic control
decisions. There will also be a
description of how weather at major
airports affects the National Airspace
System and every other airport in the
country. The thinks that done to do to
mitigate the affects of weather as it
relates to safety of flight while
maintaining the efficiency of the system
will also be outlined.
As a friendly reminder, dues are $10 ($5 for
student members) for the year, with half the
dues going towards the Academic
Achievement Fund. Donations to the
Academic Achievement Fund are also
welcome, and are tax deductible.
 The NCSU Students Chapter has
developed a website listing
internship opportunities available
(http://tempest.meas.ncsu.edu/scams/
career.html). If you have had an
internship and would like to share
the details; or if your employer has a
position they would like to post,
please contact Barrett Smith
([email protected]) with the
student chapter.
Of Note:
 Article in the November BAMS
featured the Raleigh NWS Office’s
internship program with NCSU.
November Speaker:
William F. Hunt,
Visiting Senior Scientist,
Department of Statistics,
North Carolina State University
“Environmental Statistics: A New
Source of Discovery.”
The Environmental Statistics program is
a cooperative program with Spellman
College to allow student to work with
real world data on a real world problem
prior to graduation.
Industry and government speed a lot of
money on collecting data, but usually
have very little time to analyze it.
Student would complain in exit
interview that they were unsure of what
to do after they graduation, and how to
apply the statistic they had learned.
Through the program, industry and
government clients can have students
make a fresh, and unbiased analysis of
the data at no cost. The student gain real
world experience with data, and a
chance to further develop written and
oral communication skills with a client.
Clients in the program are varied. They
include state government offices, in
North Carolina and other states, OAQPS
at EPA, regional organizations, and even
Environment Canada. Since its inception
in 1999, students in the course have
presented at over 30 conferences, and
have won over $30,000 dollars in prizes
for their research. For more information,
please see course website:
http://www.stat.ncsu.edu/~st495_info/in
dex.php
Three sets of students then presented
their work in the class. First Ashley
Volume 1
Queen and John White presented a
project for NC Department of
Environment and Natural Resources
(NCDENR) looking at the PM2.5
nonattainment problem in the state. The
student examined the data from daily
and hourly particulate matter monitoring
sites; and meteorological sites to
determine if the PM2.5 nonattainment
problem was due to regional or local
affects. They further studied the pattern
of PM2.5 with wind direction, diurnal
trends, and trends with day of the week.
Katina Gracien then presented her work,
which is a comparison of AirNOW and
AQS particulate matter databases for the
Office of Air Quality and Planning
Standards (OAQPS) at EPA. The goal is
to develop a quality assurance procedure
for the AirNOW data, and to correlate
stations with poor reporting history with
more consistent station to fill data voids
in the real-time data and thereby help
alert the public to poor air quality in the
areas with poor data reporting.
The final student, Brian Hare is working
on a project for RTP Environmental to
define a better emissions standard. The
project involves trying to match the
hourly emissions from point sources to
know statistical distributions. Brian has
explored the use of gamma distributions,
lognormal distributions, and even kernel
distribution to match stack output. He is
currently in the process of fitting the
output from several point sources to
distributions, and has found that each
source can have a different distribution.
Overall the program is a win-win
situation for all involved: The students
get real world experience and have a
better sense of “what to do with their
degree”. The agencies get free work,
Number 4
November 2005
often from a fresh perspective, and the
University has increased the number of
student interested in graduate work.
This month, our feature member is:
Please Note that parking at Jordan Hall
will be limited, as the ground breaking
on the extension of the building has
begun. A limited number of free parking
is still available along Faucette Drive
(road which parallels Western in front of
the building).
Frank Schiermeier
Fun Facts:
Weather Website of the Month:
 Our beloved president for four years.
Did you know that December 5 through
December 9 is Winter Weather
Awareness Week? Stop by the Raleigh
National Weather Service website for
tips to stay safe this winter.
 Retired after being the Director of
the Air Resource Laboratory,
Atmospheric Sciences Modeling
Division, in Research Triangle Park.
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rah/index.php
 Wants everyone to know, old
president don’t die, they just drive
off into the sunset . . .
Chair: Mike Abraczinskas
[email protected]
If you have someone you would like to
know more about, please submit their
name (or description) to me
([email protected]) prior to the
next regularly scheduled meeting.
Vice Chair: Jim Paumier
[email protected]
Attendance:
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestion?
Ideas for speakers? Email your officers:
Treasurer: Wyat Appel
[email protected]
Secretary: Bebhinn Do
[email protected]
We had 31 members and guests in
attendance at the November meeting. At
the November 2004 meeting, 28 member
and guests were in attendance.
Education Chair: George Bridgers
[email protected]
Volume 1
Number 4
November 2005
Monthly Newsletter of the
Central North Carolina Chapter
of the American Meteorological
Society
Volume: 1
Number: 3
Upcoming Meeting:
DATE: Thursday, November 17th
SPEAKER: William F. Hunt,
Visiting Senior Scientist, Department
of Statistics, North Carolina State
University
From September 2005
NCSU and comment on the impact
the course has had on the university more students pursuing graduate
study, the faculty developing new
contacts. Several students will give a
short (5 to 10 minutes) presentation
on their work:
LOCATION: Room 1132, Jordan
Hall NC State University
Katina Gracien, “A Comparison of
AirNow and AQS Particulate Matter
Databases.”
TOPIC: "Environmental statistics: a
new source of discovery"
Brian Hare, “Creating an Emission
Standard.”
ABSTRACT: How could a win-winwin strategy be used to train young
people in using statistics to solve
environmental problems,
simultaneously analyze
environmental data for Federal, State
and local agencies and increase the
number of undergraduate students
going on for advanced degrees in
statistics and other sciences? Two
courses have been developed to train
undergraduate students in
environmental statistics and provide
them with a consulting experience.
These courses are intended to
reinvigorate the relationship between
universities, colleges and
environmental agencies. He will
provide an overview of the courses at
John White and Ashley Queen, “Is
the Fine Particulate Matter
“Nonattainment” Problem in Hickory
and Lexington, NC Local or
Regional?”
As a friendly reminder, dues are $10
($5 for student members) for the
year, with half the dues going
towards the Academic Achievement
Fund.
Donations to the Academic
Achievement Fund are also welcome,
and are tax deductible.
October Business Notes:
October Speaker:
Eleanor Hasse and Benita Tipton,
NC Department of Public Instruction
(DPI)
Education & Outreach:
 Science Fair Judging is coming
up this spring. Details should be
available in January or February.
 The Student Chapter will be
having an internship meeting in
the coming months, if you have
any information to contribute,
please email one of their officers.
http://tempest.meas.ncsu.edu/sca
ms/people.html
Upcoming meetings:
Jim is working on the following
speakers for future talks:
RDU Traffic Control to speak on
weather and its affect on air and
ground traffic. (December)
Walter Back from the Army research
Office (ARO) (January)
Steve Harned, consulting
meteorologist with Atlantic States
Weather, Inc. (February)
Roni Avissar of Duke University.
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2005
/06/prattcopter.html (Hopefully
sometime this Spring)
Stay tuned for talk titles and
abstracts.
Attendance:
We had 26 members and guests in
attendance at the October meeting. Last
September’s meeting was attend by 42
member and guests.
Volume 1
“Earth Science in North Carolina’s K-12
Curriculum.”
The NC DPI develops a standard course
of study for use in all its public
classrooms, and covers kindergarten
through 12th grade. The standard course
of study is revised every five years and
is placed in public hearing before being
adopted by the State Board of education.
The Science Standard course of Study
was developed by teachers and scientists
and is aligned with National Science
Standards and with the National
Assessment of Educational Progress.
The Science Standard includes Earth,
Life and Physical Sciences and contains
a strong inquiry component that
encourages data collection and
experimentation by the student.
The standard contains a series of
educational goals to be fulfilled across
the grades. At least one goal is to be met
each year, with weather specific goals
for grades K, 2, and 5 that build off one
another. In kindergarten they encourage
the child to observe the sensible weather,
identify observation that could be made,
and develop an understanding of how
weather affects human activity. In
second grade, they extend the
understanding of weather by making
quantitative measurements. Fifth grade,
shifts to an emphasis on weather and
climate, which includes ideas such as the
water cycle, the predictability of weather
Number 3
October 2005
patterns and global atmospheric
movement and patterns.
As you move to the middle school grade
bracket (6-8), the seventh grade science
class has an atmospheric focus. They
course tries to integrate more of the
remote sensing component of
atmospheric science as students learn
about environmental issues, energy
transfer and the solar system as a whole.
In the 2007-2008 school year there will
be new end of course tests in 5th and 8th
grades, which will include the earth
science material.
North Carolina is one of only three states
to require an Earth Science course for
graduation. Ninth to twelfth graders may
elect to take a Standard Course of Study
Earth/Environment class, and AP
Environmental Science class, or a more
advanced Earth/Environment class that
may be offered at their school. The high
school Earth/Environment goals include
study of the lithosphere, geological past,
hydrosphere, atmosphere, solar system
and universe, and environmental issues,
in addition to hands on projects. For the
Science Standard in its entirety, please
visit
www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum/sci
ence.
Ms. Hasse and Ms. Tipton then showed
an excerpt form the video “A Private
Universe: Minds of Our Own”
(www.learner.org). The video showed
how misconceptions in science,
specifically the reason we have seasons
and the lunar cycle, exist in high school
student and even in Harvard graduates
and Faculty.
giving the student multiple experiences
with the concept (repetition over several
grades); confront the misconception in
class; allow the students to verbalize
their understanding, draw diagrams, and
explain the concept; and have teacher
ask the appropriate clarifying questions
when student explain. Teachers also
need to have the confidence to move
beyond the textbook explanation. This is
where you, the scientist, can help!
You can support teacher and the
classrooms through offering tours,
demonstrations, materials, websites, list
serves, and professional development.
You can also support the state level
work by helping with the curriculum,
help with the support document,
comment on drafts, aid with workshops
and testing.
To read the draft document and make
comments (Goal 5 is Atmospheric
Sciences), please see:
http://community.learnnc.org/dpi/science
/archives/2005/08/earthenvironment_1.p
hp
To offer your help to schools in your
community, please contact
Eleanor Hasse; [email protected] ;
919-807-3845
Or
Benita Tipton; [email protected];
919-807-3933
The keys to preventing these types of
misconception from propagating include
Volume 1
Number 3
October 2005
Weather Website of the Month:
The NC State Seminar Series website:
This month, our feature member is:
http://www.meas.ncsu.edu/05-seminarseries.html
Check in to see what advanced topics in
Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Science
are being presented through out the
semester. All seminars are on Mondays
at 3:30 PM in 1132 Jordan Hall.
Do you have a website you want to
promote? Send it to the chapter secretary
for inclusion.
Dr. Walter Saucier
Fun Facts:
 One of two atmospheric
scientists who established
NCSU’s meteorology program
four decades ago
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestion?
Ideas for speakers? Email your officers!
Chair: Mike Abraczinskas
[email protected]
 Also started the metrology
program at the University of
Oklahoma
Vice Chair: Jim Paumier
[email protected]
 Chuck Doswell refers to him as
“one of my career's biggest
influences”
(http://www.cimms.ou.edu/~dos
well/peeves/peeves.html)
Treasurer: Wyat Appel
[email protected]
Secretary: Bebhinn Do
[email protected]
 It is rumored that the code to the
Jordan Hall elevator is Dr.
Saucier’s birthday.
Education Chair: George Bridgers
[email protected]
If you have someone you would like to
know more about, please submit their
name
(or
description)
to
me
([email protected]) prior to the
next regularly scheduled meeting.
Volume 1
Number 3
October 2005
Monthly Newsletter of the
Central North Carolina Chapter
of the American Meteorological
Society
Volume: 1
Number: 2
Upcoming Meeting:
From September 2005
September Business Notes:
Meeting: Thursday, October 20th
Education & Outreach:
SPEAKER: Eleanor Enthoven Hasse,
Science Consultant, Secondary Division,
North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction
 Committee Chair, George
Bridgers, pointed out that two of
the AMS scholarship winners
mentioned in August’s BAMS
were current NC State Students.
An additional scholarship winner
will soon be attending NCSU.
LOCATION: Room 1132, Jordan Hall
NC State University
TOPIC: Earth Systems Science in North
Carolina K12 Curriculum
ABSTRACT: A representative from the
North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction will give an update on K12
Science Education in North Carolina
with an emphasis on Earth Systems
Science. She will discuss the Standard
Course of Study, new statewide science
testing, developing children's
understanding of science concepts, and
how you as scientists can help our
schools and teachers.
As a friendly reminder, dues are $10 ($5
for student members) for the year, with
half the dues going towards the
Academic Achievement Fund.
Donations to the Academic Achievement
Fund are also welcome, and are tax
deductible.
 George will also be coordinating
with John White of the Asheville
local AMS chapter and other
local chapters to cover all the
local science fairs this year.
Of Note:
 President Mike Abraczinskas
took the time to note that local
meteorologists (members of
EPA’s OAQPS office in RTP)
had cover articles in the latest
issue of BAMS and in EM,
AWMA’s monthly magazine for
Environmental Managers.
Attendance:
We had 42 members and guests in
attendance at the September meeting.
Last year’s September meeting was
attend by 44 member and guests.
leading edge and move approximately in
tandem.
September Speaker:
Dr. Matt Parker,
Assistant Professor, NC State University
“Impacts and predictability of Mesoscale
Convective Systems.”
The speaker for the September meeting
was Dr. Matt Parker of NC State
University. Dr. Parker received his
undergraduate degree form Valparaiso
University, and then went on to
Colorado State for graduate work. He
then became a professor in the
Geosciences department at the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This
fall will be Dr. Parker’s first semester at
NC State, and he will teach the
mesoscale/forecasting class in the
spring, and then expand into dynamic
and other course in future semesters.
Thursday night’s talk was entitled
“Impacts and predictability of Mesoscale
Convective Systems.” Dr. Parker began
the talk by giving an overview of
thunderstorm development and
differentiating between organized groups
of thunderstorm, convective systems and
mesoscale convective systems. The key
point being mesoscale convective
systems (MCSs) are on the scale of 100
km and greater, so Coriolis force is no
longer negligible. An example of a
mesoscale system is a squall line, whose
line of thunderstorms shares a common
Volume 1
Dr. Parker then showed radar and
satellite images of several examples of
convective systems, some of which
cover approximately 3 states. Organized
convection can produce severe weather,
such as large hail, straight-line winds,
localized flooding, and even tornadoes.
Due to the large spatial scale of the
systems, damage can occur across a
large area over a long period of time.
This makes understanding the
development and progression of MCSs
important. The hazards associated with
mesoscale convective systems can cause
an immense economic impact on the
central US, as hail and winds can
damage crops. Additionally, a quarter to
a third of the rain during the growing
season can come from the MCSs, and
the lack of these systems can jeopardize
crop yields. Mesoscale convective
systems are also the most common cause
of flash floods in the central US, and can
cause flooding elsewhere.
Another need to study MCSs stems from
surface features created by the system.
Long-lived mesoscale convective
systems heat the atmosphere on a
regional scale, and can leave behind
long-lived vortices as they decay.
Known as a mesoscale convective vortex
(MCV), these remnants can be seen as
“swirls” in satellite loops; and can create
precipitation, spawn another mesoscale
convective system, or even a tropical
system if the MCV drift out over the
ocean. Most MCSs in North Carolina are
formed from MCVs that drift in from the
Plains. One can see how mesoscale
convective vortices can impact the
predictability on synoptic scales.
Number 2
September 2005
In term of climatology, MCSs occur
across the globe, usually downwind of
terrain. In the US, MCSs usually form in
the high plains, just east of the Rockies,
and then move from west to east across
the Great Plains. As opposed to classic
thunderstorm development, which
typically occurs in the late afternoon (~
3 pm); MCS typically roll through the
plains in the overnight hours with a
maximum occurrence at midnight. If the
development of such an MCS is not
captured or suggested by the 12Z model
runs and soundings, forecasts can change
drastically.
Efforts have been made to better
understand the types of MCSs. In a study
of 90 system, ~ 60% were convective
lines with trailing stratiform
precipitation (TS). The remaining 40%
was equally split between convective
lines with leading precipitation (LS) and
precipitation parallel to the convective
line (PS). The organization is important,
as it, along with the speed of the system,
will determine how much rain a location
along the path will receive. Dr. Parker
then shared modeling studies, which
have helped to determine the convective
circulation patterns responsible for each
of the different forms of mesoscale
convective systems. Dr. Parker then
concluded by describing the future
direction of mesoscale research and
opening the floor to questions.
Hurricane Katrina/Rita Relief
At our first meeting we collected over
$100 for Hurricane Katrina & Hurricane
Rita relief efforts. Anyone still interested
in contributing via the CNCC AMS,
please
contact
Wyat
Appel
([email protected]). Thank
you for your generosity.
Volume 1
Do you have something you want to
announce? Seminars, training, births,
marriages . . . Let us know! We would
be happy to share them with the group.
Email the chapter secretary at
[email protected]. Submission
deadline for inclusion in the next
month’s newsletter is one week after the
monthly meeting.
Weather Website of the Month:
To help you keep up with the future of
the industry, the weather website of the
month is the newly updates NC State
Student Chapter of the AMS website.
http://tempest.meas.nce.edu/scams/index.html
We’ve talked with the students, and they
are working on a lot of projects and
some great speakers this year. To keep
up with the latest events drop by their
site.
Thoughts? Comments? Suggestion?
Ideas for speakers? Email your officers:
Chair: Mike Abraczinskas
[email protected]
Vice Chair: Jim Paumier
[email protected]
Treasurer: Wyat Appel
[email protected]
Secretary: Bebhinn Do
[email protected]
Education Chair: George Bridgers
[email protected]
Number 2
September 2005
This month our feature members are
Kelly Mahoney and Steve Harned.
Kelly Mahoney
Fun Facts:
 Kelly is originally from Ellicott City,
MD and planned to promptly return
to the Baltimore area after finishing
finished her undergraduate degree.
Raleigh grew on her -- it's now six
years later, she has just completed
her MS and started her PhD at NC
State, working with Dr. Gary
Lackmann.
 She would eventually like to obtain a
job that combines research with
operational forecasting and/or
policy-making.
 The Canadian Border Patrol wanted
her a few summers back for border
jumping while storm chasing with a
group that included Dr. Chuck
Doswell.
 She will be marrying another CNCC
member this coming June - Scott
Jackson (USEPA)!
Steve Harned
Fun Facts:
 President and owner of Atlantic
States Weather, Inc., a
meteorological consulting firm in
Cary specializing in forensic
meteorology.
 Retired from the National Weather
Service in 2004 after a 36 year career
including 14 years as Raleigh WFO
MIC.
 Hold the AMS’ Certified Consulting
Meteorologist (CCM) designation.
 Was in the NWS office in Galveston
in 1983 as major hurricane Alicia
made landfall 20 miles to the west.
 While working a Sunday forecast
shift late in January 2000 in Raleigh,
forecasted “Partly Cloudy” for
Monday night and Tuesday.
Forecast was not too good since 20”
of snow fell that Monday night and
Tuesday.
 At a much younger age and while
serving as a weather officer in the
Navy in Spain, ran with the bulls in
Pamplona three times.
If you have someone you would like to
know more about, please submit their
name
(or
description)
to
me
([email protected]) prior to the
next regularly scheduled meeting.
Volume 1
Number 2
September 2005
Monthly Newsletter of the
Central North Carolina Chapter
of the American Meteorological
Society
Volume: 1
Number: 1
Upcoming Events:
Regular Meeting: Thursday,
September 22nd
SPEAKER: Dr. Matt Parker,
Assistant Professor, NC State
University
LOCATION: Room 1132, Jordan
Hall NC State University
TOPIC: Impacts and
Predictability of Mesoscale
Convective Systems.
ABSTRACT: Mesoscale
convective systems (organized
groups of thunderstorms,
abbreviated MCSs) have great
impact on our society, producing
much of the growing season
rainfall in the agriculturally vital
Great Plains, as well as widespread
hazardous weather (large hail,
tornadoes and other damaging
winds, and flash flooding). Dr.
Parker will provide a taste of the
character and importance of
mesoscale weather from the
central U.S. (where he worked and
lived from 2002-2005), as well as
August 2005
review the primary forecast
challenges and current directions
for new research.
Dr. Parker is a recent addition to the
faculty at NC State University, and
specializes in Mesoscale meteorology.
Come and meet one of the newest
members of the faculty.
http://www4.ncsu.edu/~mdparker/
As a friendly reminder, dues are $10
($5 for student members) for the
year, with half the dues going
towards the Academic Achievement
Fund.
Donations to the Academic
Achievement Fund are also welcome,
and are tax deductible.
Hurricane Katrina Relief
At our first meeting we will be taking
up donations to for Hurricane Katrina
Relief efforts. This is an excellent
opportunity to make a donation to
this worthwhile cause if you have not
done so already. All donation will be
sent to the American Red Cross.
Banquet Highlights:
Academic Achievement Award
Winners: Ashley N. Queen and W.
Brandon Aydlett, both graduating senior
of NC State University were the 20042005 recipients of the Paul Humphries
Academic Achievement Award. Ashley
and Brandon are pictured receiving their
awards from Education Committee Chair
George Bridgers.
Also recognized at the banquet were
Science Fair Judges Marvin Maddox and
Frankie Vann (picture below with
Education Chair George Bridgers). Both
Marvin and Frankie have judged
regional science fairs in previous years.
We thank them for continuing to
dedicate their time and representing the
chapter at these fairs. If you are
interested in judging this spring, please
Contact George Bridgers at
([email protected]).
2005 Academic Achievement Award
Winner Ashley N. Queen.
Weather Website of the Month:
Hey! Have you been to the chapter’s
website lately? The start of the new year
is a good time to check it out”
http://www.ncclimate.ncsu.edu/ams/index.html
You can also visit:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cnccams/
2005 Academic Achievement Award
Winner W. Brandon Aydlett.
Volume 1
To sign up for announcements, or
update your email address if you have
already signed up.
Number 1
August 2005
I’m sure you’ve noticed that the format
of the minutes has changed. Don’t
worry, speaker summaries will be
included, but now we will include so
much more. Let us know what you think.
Let us know what you would like to see.
Feel free to email any of the officers to
let them know how you feel.
In an effort to get the member of our to
know each other, the monthly newsletter
will feature a section that showcases a
member (or two). So if you want to
know about someone else in the Chapter,
email us and they may be the next one in
the . . .
The 2005-2006 Officers
Chair: Mike Abraczinskas
[email protected]
Vice Chair: Jim Paumier
[email protected]
Treasurer: Wyat Appel
[email protected]
Secretary: Bebhinn Do
[email protected]
Education Chair: George Bridgers
[email protected]
Mark those Calendars!
Here are the tentative dates for meetings
during the 05-06 calendar year. So go
ahead and mark those calendars so you
don’t forget!
From Left to Right: Bebhinn Do,
Secretary; Mike Abraczinskas,
President; Wyat Appel, Treasurer; James
Paumier, Vice President. Education
Committee Chair George Bridgers
pictured previously.
Fun Facts:
th
September 15
October 20th
November 17th
December 8th
January 19th
February 16th
March 16th
April 20th
May 5th (Friday – Banquet)
Mike Abraczinskas:
 Mike graduated from NC State with
a B.S. in Meteorology. He currently
works as an Environmental Engineer
at the NC Division of Air Quality.
His major duties include mobile
source emissions modeling to
support statewide plans for ozone,
Remember dates are subject to change.
Volume 1
Number 1
August 2005
fine particles and visibility, and
transportation conformity
 Most extreme weather experience:
Got to go outside in the eye of
Hurricane Fran in Wilmington in
1996
 Enjoys golfing, fishing, weather (of
course) and is a sports fanatic (and
diehard Wolfpacker)…
 Mike and his wife Jenn are expecting
their first child ~March 2006.
James Paumier:
 Senior meteorologist at MACTEC
Federal Program (formerly Pacific
Environmental Services) since 1993
 Originally from Ohio, but have been
in North Carolina for 21 years,
after stays in California, Arizona,
and Oregon
 Enjoy gardening; hope to build a
small model railroad layout someday
supporting the demonstration of the
attainment of EPA air quality
standards.
 Owns over a gig of song by the
Barenaked Ladies.
George Bridgers:
 Senior Meteorologist, Atmospheric
Modeler, and Air Quality Forecaster
with
the NC Division of Air Quality
(www.ncair.org)
 Jennifer and I are expecting our first
child. Baby "Girl" Bridgers will join
us just prior to Christmas.
 Major weather and technology geek.
Check out:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/g/m/gmbridg
ers/gmb.htm
http://www.wunderground.com/weat
herstation/WXDailyHistory.asp?ID=
KNCRALEI14
Wyat Appel:
 Physical Scientist with NOAA
Atmospheric Science Modeling
Division, working in partnership
with the EPA. Currently works at the
EPA office in RTP.
 Avid volleyball player (played in
three national tournaments).
 Coached State's women's club
volleyball team.
 Knows how to juggle.
Do you have something you want to
announce? Seminars, training, births,
marriages . . . Let us know! We would
be happy to share them with the group.
Email the chapter secretary at
[email protected].
CNCC-AMS would like to congratulate
our recent graduates on all there hard
work. Congratulations class of ’05!
Bebhinn Do:
 First name is pronounced like Kevin,
but with a B in front. It’s Gaelic!
 Works as a Meteorologist at NC
Division of Air Quality. Major duties
include air quality forecasting and
Volume 1
Number 1
August 2005