Technology and Human Experience in Weather Forecasting

In upstate New York, the weather forecast is a topic of universal interest. We depend on its accuracy to plan our daily lives - our commuting, our travels, our leisure activities. This program will focus on the challenges of weather prediction in the Great Lakes region, past and future technological advances in meteorology, and the role of human experience in weather prediction.

While the Great Lakes influences our weather 12 months of the year, the most significant influence is during the late fall and winter season when lake effect snow frequently impacts Western NY. We will examine the challenges of lake effect snow prediction in the Great Lakes and the Greater Rochester area specifically.

Technological advances continue to improve the accuracy and lead time of weather forecasts, particularly for high impact weather events. This program will examine the rise of technology in meteorology including radar, satellite, and numerical weather prediction. While technology continues to advance, human interpretation of these data continues to play an important role in fine tuning the forecast and explaining the impact of the forecast on those in the path of the storm. The program will also discuss what future technology may be incorporated into weather prediction, including a new radar network in the United States, future advances in numerical weather prediction, and artificial intelligence.

About our speaker

Jonathan P. Hitchcock, Senior Forecaster at the National Weather Service in Buffalo, is a Western NY native who developed a passion for weather at an early age, fascinated by lake effect snowstorms and summer thunderstorms in the Buffalo area. That fascination in weather at an early age led to the pursuit of a career in meteorology. Mr. Hitchcock attended the State University of New York at Oswego, graduating with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Meteorology in 2002. Oswego was a natural laboratory for meteorology on the shores of Lake Ontario.

Mr. Hitchcock began his career with the National Weather Service in February 2003 at the National Weather Service in North Webster, Indiana. He gained valuable experience in severe thunderstorm forecasting and warning operations from 2003 through 2007 in Indiana, which typically experiences a much more active severe thunderstorm season than Western NY. Mr. Hitchcock transferred to the National Weather Service in Buffalo, NY in late January 2007 as a General Forecaster, and was promoted to Senior Forecaster in the fall of 2011.

Mr. Hitchcock’s areas of expertise and professional interest include lake effect snow prediction and severe thunderstorm warning operations. The Great Lakes have a huge influence on our weather locally, and make a career in meteorology both fascinating and challenging in Western NY.

JOIN US FOR THIS FREE WEBINAR

Date: Wednesday, January 22

Time:  12:00 - 1:00 pm EST

Location:  On-line, via Zoom

Cost:  Free to GRQC members and non-members

Registration:  Click below to register.  Note:  Registration may not work with Internet Explorer; please use a currently supported browser.

If you require ASL interpretation, please let us know by January 13.

Please direct questions to events@grqc.org.

Greater Rochester Quality Council events, programs and initiatives are supported in part by the Greater Rochester Chamber Foundation.