Typhoon Chata`an Wreaks Havoc in the Western Pacific:
Chuuk Office Loses Instruments, New Guam Office Weathers the Storm

Fourth of July celebrations were cancelled as Guam went into typhoon warning status on Independence Day with Typhoon Chata`an ("cha-TA-ahn") headed for the island. Meteorologists at the Guam Weather Forecast Office (WFO) had their eyes on the storm from the time it formed as a tropical depression on June 26, as it continued on a destructive path through the Federated States of Micronesia, until it made landfall on Guam, July 5. Click here for photos.

A Service Assessment Team will meet with local officials, customers, media, and the public on July 12-20, 2002, to evaluate performance by the NWS offices in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), and Guam during recent typhoons.

As a tropical storm, Chata`an dumped over 20 inches of rain on the islands of the Chuuk Lagoon within Chuuk State, and the resulting landslides left 40 dead and over 70 injured. Some instrumentation was lost at the Chuuk Weather Service Office. The storm reached typhoon strength as it traveled towards Guam. But the experienced Guam forecasters were prepared for anything, said their leader.

"Guam is located in what is referred to as Typhoon Alley because of the large number of tropical cyclones that form in the western north Pacific," said Genny Miller, WFO Guam Meteorologist-in-Charge. "While it has been relatively quiet for the past four years, an average of 28 storms develop annually with one or more affecting the Island. Several of us were here during past events," she continued. "In the fall of 1987, three typhoons were in our area of responsibility at the same time. We lost power during Super Typhoon Paka in 1997 but we were in the old building then – now we're in the new building."

On July 6, Guam was declared a Federal disaster by President Bush. Preliminary reports indicate considerable damage to homes and businesses throughout the Island. Power lines are down, water service is disrupted in places, and intermittent phone problems have been reported. While there was damage to vegetation on the WFO grounds, the building itself sustained no damage, as was expected. A little rain blew in through windows and underneath the doors, even though the shutters were closed, but quick response from the WFO staff prevented any impacts to the operations.

Dedicated in April 2000, the new WFO Guam facility has received two awards for its environmentally sustainable and energy efficient features. Many upgrades and safety features were factored into the building as well. Made out of steel-reinforced concrete, it was built to withstand winds of up to 194 mph and resist earthquakes. The facility has two back-up generators which are sheltered. Hurricane shutters cover the windows and doors. With these bunker-like reinforcements, the building was secure. And with the kitchen, the shower, washer, and dryer, staff were prepared for a long siege.

"Operations were pretty normal under the circumstances," said Miller. "We really felt safe here in the building but we were a little worried about our homes and families. Some of us lost power and water. Others had water damage." Miller had three feet of water in her upstairs bedroom – a result of debris blocking the drains of her second floor lanai. Others also experienced problems – a tree fell on Lead Forecaster Bill Ward's roof and flooding from an upstairs condominium ruined computer equipment at Hydrometeorological Technician Jim Bunker's residence.

"The staff deserves a lot of credit," said Jeff LaDouce, Director, NWS Pacific Region. "They dealt successfully with intermittent radar connectivity problems, loss of NWR transmission, phone calls from the public and media, and their own family situations, and still managed to issue all watches, warnings, and other products on time."

More information on WFO Guam is available at http://www.prh.noaa.gov/pr/guam/.

NWS Dedicates New Maine Forecast Office

On July 2, 2002, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held to celebrate the opening of the new Caribou, ME, Weather Forecast Office (WFO). Marking the occasion were national and local dignitaries including: U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Caribou Mayor Lucinda Hebert, and Maine Adjutant General Joseph Tinkam. Representing U. S. Senator Olympia Snowe's office was Staff Assistant Kenneth White, and Staff Assistant Marcia Gartley represented U.S. Congressman John Baldacci. NOAA and the National Weather Service were represented by NOAA's Deputy Under Secretary Scott Gudes, NWS Deputy Director John Jones, and Eastern Region Director Dean Gulezian. WFO Caribou Meteorologist-In-Charge Larry Gabric orchestrated the ceremony, which took place under sunny skies with about 200 people in attendance. Pictures of the new facility and the ribbon cutting ceremony can be seen by following this link.

The ceremony capped a process that took several years of hard work by the citizens of northern Maine, Maine's Congressional delegation, and government employees. The new state-of-the art facility features many environmentally-friendly features including a geothermal heating and cooling system, many windows to utilize natural light, and many recycled building materials. The Caribou WFO is one of only a handful in the country to be recognized as a high performance building by the United States Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

The June 19 edition of NOAA's NWS Focus reported Design Team Leader John Porter's recognition by the U.S. Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program for his work on WFO Caribou and other environmentally-friendly projects. Many NOAA employees contributed to making the Caribou WFO a reality, including the following:

• Bill Ross, NWS Eastern Region Headquarters, Bohemia, NY, initiated design features such as generator; uninterruptible power source; security system; heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, and lightning protection.
  
  
• Tim Ballard and Scott Littlefield, NOAA's Eastern Administrative Support Center, Norfolk, VA, were the primary engineers that initiated the architectural/engineering contract and oversaw the entire design process.
  
  
• Ray Mallett, WFO Gray, ME, provided day-to-day inspection on the construction, discovered a number of design challenges, and quickly initiated changes to keep the project moving.
  
  
• Tom Raineri, WFO Caribou, provided valuable and significant input during the planning, design, and construction phases from the field office perspective.

Congratulations to all on a job well done!

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As of July 10, the NWS has already dispatched 68 Incident Meteorologists (IMETs) to fires in the calendar year, which is more than twice the average of 32 meteorologists sent to fires by this time from 1993-2002. (IMETs are NWS forecasters who receive special training in microscale forecasting, fire behavior, and fire operations, which makes them a key member of fire management teams.) IMETs have assisted land management agencies across the Nation at more than 32 separate wildfires so far this year. More than 3.2 million acres have burned nationally which more than doubles the 10-year average of 1.4 million acres. The National Interagency Fire Center continues to report very high to extreme fire potential in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. See the June 19 NOAA's NWS Focus story for more details.

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2002 Max A. Kohler Award Winner Announced

Solomon G. Summer, who recently retired from his position as Chief of the Eastern Region Hydrologic Services Division, is the recipient of the 2002 National Weather Service Max A. Kohler Award. This award is named in honor of Max Kohler an internationally renowned hydrologist. Individuals recognized by this award are honored for their sustained and distinguished accomplishments and contributions to the National Weather Service (NWS) Hydrologic Services Program.

"Sol's vision and direction were essential to the success of the NWS river and flash flood program and the success of many other water resource and drought management efforts," said NWS Eastern Region Director Dean Gulezian. "His hands-on management skills and leadership guided state-of-the-art technology implementation and complex forecast technique development which vastly improved services for a wide segment of the U.S. population."

Summer's list of accomplishments is long and impressive, Gulezian added. During Summer's 31 years with the NWS, he led the modernization of the NWS hydrologic services program and developed many productive regional, national and international liaisons. "Sol's willingness to succeed, inspire teamwork and look at the big-picture while paying attention to detail is shown in his passion for 'Working Together to Save Lives'," Gulezian said.

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Department of Defense Honors NCEP Staffers

Deputy Secretary of Commerce Samuel W. Bodman and NOAA Administrator Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.), presented Certificates of Appreciation from the U.S. Air Force to NWS Climate Prediction Center staff members Alvin Miller, Brad Pugh, Eric Luebehusen, and Tim Love, and Air Force Weather Liaison to the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Major Robert Falvey during a visit to the NOAA Science Center in Camp Springs, MD, on July 2, 2002. These certificates recognized their efforts to develop the Medium-Range Weather Hazards/Forecasts for the Afghanistan area that support Department of Defense and humanitarian relief efforts.

NWS Employee Participates in Presidential Classroom

Mark Strobin, Office of Climate, Water, and Weather/Hydrologic Services Division, took part in the Presidential Classroom Scholars Program, June 29 - July 6, 2002, in Washington, DC. Selected from a competitive pool of applicants, Stobin joined 23 other volunteers to prepare high school juniors and seniors for responsible citizenship.

"It was a very rewarding experience," said Strobin. "I felt I was able to make a difference in students' lives. I got them involved in meteorology and familiar with the NWS."

Discussion and debate centered on a framework of federal government, Washington culture and democracy. Volunteer instructors facilitated small group discussions on current issues including juvenile justice, human rights, and the role of the media in the political process.

Presidential Classroom is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has provided more than 100,000 top high school students from the United States and abroad access to the federal government and the people who shape public policy. For more information, visit the Presidential Classroom website, http://www.presidentialclassroom.org/.

New Web Training Module is a Breeze

"Mountain/Valley Breezes" may sound like the name of a new air freshener, but it's also the new foundation module in COMET's Mesoscale Meteorology Primer series and provides a brief overview of slope and valley breezes. Topics covered include the nature and origin of these breezes, their associated hazards, and forecast techniques. As with other COMET modules in the Mesoscale Meteorology Primer series, this module comes with audio narration, rich graphics, and a companion print version. The Mountain/Valley Breezes course should take about one hour to complete, according to Eli Jacks of the Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services. The module is available from the "New" listing on the COMET Meteorology Education home page at or it may be accessed directly at http://meted.ucar.edu/mesoprim/mtnval/index.htm.