SeCAPS 2024 Agenda

Saturday, April 6:

7:45 a.m. – Registration (Refreshments Available)

8:15 – Welcome and Opening Remarks – Dr. Sytske Kimball, University of South Alabama

Session I: Mesoscale/Local Meteorology

8:25 – The Record-Breaking Severe Weather Marathon of June 2023 by the Numbers – Cameron Young, NWS Tallahassee, FL

8:40 –Uses and Applications of The South Alabama Mesonet – Sytske Kimball, University of South Alabama

8:55 – High resolution study on the microclimates of various plant zones on San Cristóbal Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador – Steven Schultze, Abigail Kratsch, and Jade Martin, University of South Alabama; Francisco Laso, Western Washington University; Nazaret Narváez, Luis Tasipanta, and Ariel Pila, Universidad San Francisco de Quito

9:10 – Challenges and Best Practices for Assessing Catastrophic Tornado Damage across a Vulnerable Community; Rolling Fork, Mississippi, – Logan Poole, Ashlyn Jackson, Chad Entremont, Daniel Lamb, and Bill Parker, NWS Jackson, MS

9:25 – Break/Networking

9:45 – Keynote: Wintertime Tornadoes, Storm Surveys, and How to get a Job – John Gordon, – NWS Louisville, KY 

Session II: Communication/Society Impacts

10:30 – Can Weather-Related Fatalities Be Reduced by Rethinking How Weather is Taught in K-12 Education – John Lanicci, S. Katie Guffey McCorrison, and Hannah Fink, University of South Alabama

10:45 – Break/Networking

11:00 – National Hurricane Center – Mission, Recent Progress and Future Changes – Andrew Hagen, National Hurricane Center, Miami, FL (Virtual)

11:15 – Mess Around & Find Out: Utilizing Data For Targeted Outreach to Achieve A Weather Ready Nation – Michael Hill, NWS Jackson, MS

11:30 – Breaking the Grip of the Rip: Communicating the Risk of Deadly Rip Currents to Tourists – Morgan Barry, Cody Lindsey, and Jessica Chase, NWS Mobile, AL

11:45 – Lunch (Provided)/Networking

1:30Keynote: The Alabama Tornadoes of March 25, 2021 – James Spann, AB3 33/40 Chief Meteorologist, Birmingham, AL

2:15 – 50th anniversary of the April 1974 Super Outbreak – John Lanicci, University of South Alabama

2:30 – Break/Networking

2:45 – Synoptic Briefing – Aaron Colby and Ian Beck, University of South Alabama

3:30 – Poster Session (*See bottom of page for details*)

5:00 – Mixer


Sunday, April 7:

8:00 a.m. - Registration (Refreshments Available)

Session III: Severe Weather Operations

8:15 – National Weather Service Forecast Office Culture and Severe Weather Warnings – Kevin Laws, NWS Birmingham, AL 

8:30 – Considerable to Consistent: Trying to Improve Upon the Thresholds for Considerable Tag Tornado Warnings to Provide a Consistent Message to Core Partners and the Public – Brandon Black, Jonathan Howell, and Michael Mugrage, NWS Mobile, AL

8:45 Keynote: Storm Interactions – Cameron Nixon, Storm Prediction Center, Norman, OK

Résumé Workshop

9:30 – Résumé/Interview Practice Workshop – John Gordon, NWS Louisville, KY

10:00 – Break/Networking

Session IV: Satellite Meteorology

10:15 – Eye in the Sky: Utilization of Remote Sensing through GIS to Assist Storm Surveys and Improve Accuracy of the Damage Assessment Toolkit and Storm Database after Tornado Events – Michael Mugrage, NWS Mobile, AL

10:30 – Identifying Dust Events lofted from Post-Fire Burn Scars Utilizing Dust RGB – Amy McAlister and Emily Berndt, University of Alabama in Huntsville, NASA MSFC SPoRT

10:45 –The Importance of Using GOES-16 Satellite Imagery for Mesoanalysis During the April 22nd, 2022, Central Gulf Coast Severe Weather Event – Jonathan Howell, Michael Mugrage, Brandon Black, and Jason Beaman, NWS Mobile, AL

Session V: Numerical Weather Prediction

11:00 Keynote: Saving Lives with Physics and Game Theory – Neil Jacobs, UCAR, Boulder, CO

11:45 – Lunch (On your own)

Session VI: Student Opportunities

1:15 – Planning for Retirement - The Weather Career Afterlife – Alan Sealls, University of South Alabama

1:30 – Panel Discussion: 

    • Broadcast – Allan Sealls, Retired WKRG TV Chief Meteorologist
    • NOAA/Government – Jeffrey Medlin, Retired NWS MIC
    • NOAA/Government – Pat Spoden, Retired NWS Forecaster
    • Academia – Bill Williams, Retired, USA Professor Emeritus

2:00 – How You As a Student Can Make an Impact in the National Weather Service (NWS) – Carmen Hernandez and Meredith Wyatt, NWS Peachtree City, GA

2:15 – Opportunities in the National Weather Service/National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration – Alana McCants, NWS West Gulf Coast River Forecast Center

2:30 – Teleconnections, Thermostats, and Energy Sector Meteorology – Nick Lilja, Cheniere Energy

2:45 – Closing Remarks

Poster Session – 3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.

P1 – Differences in Overlying Synoptic Environments between Lake-Effect and Non-Lake-Effect Snow Associated Colorado Cyclones – Kevin Lamberson and Jacob Wiley, University of South Alabama

P2 – Winter UHI Effect on Snowfall in St. Louis Missouri – Nathaniel Mirly and Jacob Wiley, University of South Alabama

P3 – Temperature and Radiation Sensor Performance During Lightning Events – James Smith and Sytske Kimball, University of South Alabama


For previous agendas, click here!

Note: Abstract submissions are now closed.