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President's Message President's Message
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Former NWA Executive Director James “Kevin” Lavin, Col USAF, Ret., passed away on March 20, 2023, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Kevin was the NWA executive director from 1993-2006 and he was a Charter Member of the association.
Kevin was a good friend to many and was dedicated to the NWA and the Air Weather Association (AWA). Being executive director of the NWA was more than a job to Kevin. It was a part of his life. He dedicated countless hours to ensure the association remained a relevant resource to all involved in operational meteorology and related sciences. Kevin was exceptionally welcoming to all who participated in the NWA, and he and his wife Carol, who passed away in 2019, were two of the reasons the NWA has felt like a family. Kevin’s family did assist in NWA tasks. Carol assisted Kevin a lot. According to his daughter, Kevin and Carol’s children even helped stuff membership renewal and election mailings for members while gathered for Thanksgiving. Starting his meteorological career in the USAF, Kevin had many stories of his adventures during his service. He retired in 1991 as a Colonel. In 1969, he was recognized with the Forecaster Award (Centralized Facility) as a Captain with Detachment 14, 1st Weather Group, Tan Son Nhut Airfield, Vietnam. Starting in June of 1980, Kevin served one year as the Commander of the 25th Operational Weather Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. He served as Commander of the 4th Weather Wing for about 10 months starting in August of 1986. In 1993 Kevin assumed the NWA executive director position from Sol Hirsch. He ran the association from his home in Montgomery, Alabama, followed by Charlottesville, Virginia. Carol assisted with secretarial duties and accompanied Kevin to NWA Annual Meetings where members got to know both of them. Kevin served as the chairman of the Air Weather Association for many years and more recently as chairman emeritus. In addition to organizing the NWA Annual Meetings while he was executive director, he and Carol organized many annual reunions for AWA along with many other tasks. Being a Charter Member of the NWA, he understood the importance of documenting all memberships and especially those of our Charter Members. In the early years of the association, membership data was stored on note cards. Kevin shared the story about a staff assistant that became upset when learning that a previous executive director planned to move the office to another state. That person scattered membership cards, and destroyed some, throughout the office. Kevin worked with the executive director to rebuild the card files for over 500 Charter and other members. Kevin was a strong leader in and outside the NWA. This was true when social media became a new and rapidly growing force. As the NWA Council was deciding whether to jump into the new Facebook platform, they noticed that Kevin was already embracing it. That helped seal the decision to join Facebook then Twitter. Anyone who was a Facebook friend with Kevin will miss his frequent likes and encouraging comments. To honor Kevin’s leadership and dedication to the NWA, the NWA Council created the J. Kevin Lavin Leadership Award in 2007 and awarded it to Kevin that year. In 2013 he was given a newly created Lifetime Membership in the NWA. The NWA and NWA Foundation extend our condolences to Kevin’s children, grandchildren, extended family members and friends. Kevin will be missed tremendously. Kevin’s obituary is on the Teague Funeral Service website, and his service is on March 31 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The National Weather Association invites you to submit an abstract for our Annual Meeting, September 9 – 13, 2023, at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. This will be a hybrid meeting, with both in-person and virtual attendance options. Please do not hesitate to submit an abstract even if you won’t be able to attend in person. Visit our Annual Meeting Webpage for more information.
NWA Awards Nominations: The Power of Recognition
Those of us fortunate to have received an award in honor of our meaningful, dedicated work definitely understand the powerful motivation this recognition can bring to our professional and personal lives. Being able to share that sense of encouragement to our valued friends and colleagues can be as inspiring for the nominator, as it is for the recipient. The National Weather Association (NWA) believes in highlighting and celebrating individuals, teams and organizations whose outstanding efforts in meteorology and related sciences deserve special recognition. NWA members are invited to use the NWA Annual Awards nomination process to recommend those who should be honored for their work at the 2023 NWA Annual Meeting in August. The NWA Annual Awards Program helps bring awareness to all the ways that representatives of the weather enterprise inspire innovation, collaboration, and the promotion of weather awareness. There are numerous awards spanning research, operations, and academics. The nomination process is simpler than you may realize, and we encourage you to review information provided on the NWA Annual Awards Program webpage. Nominations are due by May 11, 2023. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Awards Committee at [email protected] or [email protected]. The NWA Community is a space that will continue to grow and expand, and plans for the future are exciting! Here are some conversations happening on Community:
We will be looking for you in the NWA Community! Come on over! 
What sparked your interest in meteorology? What is the most memorable weather event you have covered? What do you love to do in your free time? Do you have any unusual/hidden talents? What do you love most about being a member of the NWA? Connect with Jonathan: Congratulations to our 2022 Fall Scholarship Recipients!
Arthur C. Pike Scholarship in Meteorology: Gabrielle Brown from NVU-Lyndon Department of Atmospheric Sciences  Phillips Family Undergraduate Meteorology Scholarship: Andrew Muehr from the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology!
 You can read more about these scholarship winners on our news post.
 Spring Scholarship, Grant and Travel Fund Offerings from the NWA Foundation
Scholarships are open until May 25, 2023.
The Sol Hirsch Education Fund Grants for K-12 Teachers/Educators will close June 8, 2023. More information can be found on our scholarship website. Help us spread the word by sharing the Spring Scholarship Flyer and the Sol Hirsch Grant Flyer with eligible candidates. JOM: An Air Traffic Control Wind Compression Forecasting Tool for the TRACON Environment
Link to Article Authors for this new JOM article are James Ott and Matthew Stalley.
Abstract:
 Strong wind in the lower levels of the atmosphere near major airports can impact normal air traffic control (ATC) operations with respect to the horizontal spacing of aircraft. This is known in the ATC community as wind compression. Wind compression occurs when a strong wind from a specific direction and speed (at critical altitudes) impact normal ATC operations. The impact of wind compression becomes most noticeable when the spacing between aircraft decreases near or below minimal acceptable limits. Previous attempts to forecast wind compression have been unsuccessful. Wind shear calculations, timeheight wind forecasts, and maximum winds below a certain altitude, such as 3050 m (10 000 ft), do not adequately convey the impact of wind compression. These methods are insufficient because they do not account for the flight profile of the numerous arrival routes that aircraft must travel to land at major airports. The Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Wind Compression Tool assists aviation forecasters in determining which arrival routes are impacted and the specific layers of the approach that are susceptible to wind compression. This program (1) diagnoses five different layers on an arrival route that may have potential wind compression impacts and (2) forecasts the onset and end of a compression event, the altitudes impacted, and the relative strength of the wind compression. Key information using the wind forecast from three National Weather Service models is condensed for each model hour and is placed into a timeline forecast.
JOM: Parallax Shift in GOES ABI Data
Link to Article Authors for this new JOM article are Anthony Bernal Ayala, Jordan Gerth, Timothy Schmit, Scott Lindstrom, and James Nelson III.
Abstract:
 A parallax shift is a displacement in the apparent navigated position of a feature that arises because of its perspective from the viewing platform and is also a function of the feature height. For Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imagery, this shift is especially apparent away from the satellite subpoint. Users should understand the degree of this shift when combining GOES Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) imagery with other data, such as radar and lightning. However, it can be challenging, especially at spatial resolutions around the cloud/storm scale. This article explores parallax displacement for both uniform and computed cloud-top heights. Parallax shift will be shown using two case studies. The first case is from 7 September 2021, in which northern Illinois hailstorms are examined using ground-based Level II NEXRAD radar data, GOES-16 ABI imagery, and Geostationary Lightning Mapper data. The second case, on 9 April 2021, examines an eruption of the La Soufrière volcano on St. Vincent from the differing perspectives of GOES16 and -17. The discussion of these cases will show how parallax is an apparent displacement that will vary depending on what satellites are used for observation, where the phenomenon is with respect to the satellite, and the height of the phenomenon being analyzed. Newer satellite instruments with finer spatial resolutions and improved georeferencing will maximize data usability at more extreme angles and require users to account for the accompanying enhanced parallax shift. Even at lesser angles, parallax displacement is an important consideration for many meteorological and other applications.
JOM: Evaluating Mixing Height Estimations in the Western United States Using Satellite Observations
Link to Article Authors for this new JOM article are Christopher Wright, Dean Berkowitz, Julia Liu, Lauren Mock, Brandy Nisbet-Wilcox, Kenton Ross, Travis Toth and Keith Weber.
Abstract:
 Wildfire smoke can be transported far from its origin, adversely impacting human health. The height of the atmospheric mixing layer, the near-surface layer of the troposphere in which turbulent convection leads to vertical mixing, is called the mixing height. Mixing height is a critical input in the smoke dispersion and air quality models used by agencies that monitor wildfires and air pollution. These models, coupled with forecaster expertise, are also used to determine if it is safe to execute a prescribed burn. In this paper, we derive mixing heights from two satellite datasets in order to assess mixing height forecasts produced by the National Weather Service (NWS) Fire Weather Program. Namely, we use Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) Vertical Feature Masks (VFM) and vertical water vapor profiles from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Our comparison indicates that NWS forecasts tend to underestimate CALIOP mixing heights with a median relative error of –13% and a mean relative error of –3.34%. Although MODIS and NWS mixing heights showed some agreement below 3 km, the lower vertical resolution of the MODIS estimates hindered a full comparison. We examine the discrepancies among mixing heights over wildfire smoke plumes determined by these methods and discuss biases and limitations. This work provides insight into potential bias patterns present in current mixing height forecasts and provides directions for future improvements in both NWS mixing height forecasts and satellite-based measurements of mixing height.
From SAMHSA: The Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990, is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the United States and its territories. Stress, anxiety, and other depression-like symptoms are common reactions after a disaster. Call or text 1-800-985-5990 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. Who Should Contact the Disaster Distress Helpline? This crisis support service is for anyone experiencing emotional distress related to disasters such as:
The Disaster Distress Helpline also answers calls and texts related to infectious disease outbreaks, such as the Coronavirus pandemic, incidents of community unrest, and other traumatic events. The impact of crises may affect people in different ways. Learn how to recognize the warning signs and risk factors for emotional distress related to natural and human-caused disasters. The Disaster Distress Helpline is open to everyone. This includes survivors of disasters; loved ones of victims; first responders; rescue, recovery, and relief workers; clergy; and parents and caregivers. You may call for yourself or on behalf of someone else. September 2023
Have you checked out our job page recently? We update the job postings as they arrive, and they've been arriving more frequently. Check out the newest job postings or submit a job posting. National Weather Association | 3100 Monitor Ave, Suite 123 | Norman OK 73072 | 405.701.5167 Publisher: Janice Bunting, NWA CEO Submit newsletter items to [email protected] |
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