Meteorology experts in the public and private sectors, academia and broadcasting will share their professional insights into significant weather phenomena shaping the climate regionally, nationally and globally at the Fifth Tri-State Weather Conference on Saturday, Oct. 18, at Western Connecticut State University.
The conference, organized by the meteorology program in Western’s Department of Physics, Astronomy and Meteorology, will feature presentations by weather analysts, climate researchers, TV weathercasters and storm trackers on a wide range of topics ranging from recent major weather events to developments in forecasting technology. Co-sponsors for the event include the WCSU student chapter and the New York City/Long Island chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices in Upton, New York, and Taunton, Massachusetts.
The program will run from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 125 of the Science Building on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. Check-in for conference registrants will begin at 8 a.m. in the Science Building Atrium.
Conference registrations are open to the public and may be submitted online at www.wcsu.edu/weatherconference. The registration fee is $30 per person, and includes a continental breakfast, lunch and refreshments during breaks.
Gary Lessor, assistant to the director of meteorological studies and the Weather Center at WCSU, observed that the purpose of the conference is to bring together meteorologists, researchers, educators, students, emergency management officials and weather enthusiasts to exchange information and ideas about important topics in the field.
Paul Kocin, currently meteorologist for the NOAA/NWS forecast operations branch and previously a winter weather forecast specialist for The Weather Channel, will discuss “The Blizzard of 2013: Aberration or the New Normal?” Kocin is the author of “Northeast Snowstorms” released by the AMS. He has earned wide recognition as an expert on Nor’easter storms in the United States, developing with Louis Uccellini a new index called the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale to measure and compare the severity of winter storms in the region.
Other seminar topics and presenters scheduled during the conference include:
- “Exploring Tri-State Climate Variability and Change,” Dr. David Robinson, New Jersey state climatologist at Rutgers University.
- “Hurricane Sandy: Boundary Layer Structure Effects on Winds and Storm Surge,” Jeffrey Tongue, science and operations officer, NOAA/NWS Upton forecast office.
- “NWS Weather Ready Nation Initiative,” Dr. Jason Tuell, director, NOAA/NWS Eastern Region office, Bohemia, New York.
- “Operational Applications of GIS: Development of a Flash Flood Potential Index for the Tri-State Area,” Adrienne Leptich, forecaster, NOAA/NWS Upton forecast office.
- “The GOES-R Satellite: A New Eye in the Sky,” Eleanor Vallier-Talbot, meteorologist, NOAA/NWS Taunton forecast office.
- “Violent Tornado Outbreak, Nebraska and South Dakota: June 16-18, 2014,” Quincy Vagell, of Naugatuck, free-lance meteorologist and WCSU alumnus.
- “Tracking Hurricanes and Saharan Dust Storms from Space,” Jason Dunion, meteorologist, Hurricane Research Division, NOAA Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, Miami, Florida.
- “Winter 2014-15: Will Our Longstanding Ideas Win Out?” Joe Bastardi, chief forecaster, Weatherbell Analytics LLC, New York, New York.
For more information, contact the Office of University Relations at (203) 837-8486.