Ken Graham, Director of NHC, named Director of National Weather Service

[John Robinson]

Kenneth Graham selected as next director of NOAA’s National Weather Service

Kenneth Graham is the next NOAA assistant administrator for weather services and the 17th director of the National Weather Service, effective today, June 7, 2022. “Ken has the scientific integrity, trusted leadership, and communication prowess that will take the National Weather Service to even...

www.noaa.gov

Ken has a really good handle on day-to-day operations of NWS offices and should make a fine Director of NWS. The previous director, Louis Uccellini, had a primary interest in computer models and, to my knowledge, had never worked in a NWS field forecast office.

It is somewhat concerning that they are moving the NHC director out just as hurricane season begins. Uccellini retired at the beginning of the year, so there was plenty of time to make a decision. That said, selections for NWS Director typically take quite a bit of time.

 

[Mike Smith]

NOAA's original director, Robert White, had a background in meteorology. Since 1975, NOAA has never had a director that knew anything about real-time meteorological operations. That is still true today and it is true of NOAA's entire top management.

NWS, most of the time since the 1950's, has had theoreticians and researchers as directors (Cressman, Halgren, Uccellini) and military (Friday, Hayes, Kelly) and no leaders who understood the demands of operational NWS meteorology and the pressures on field offices.

Ken is exactly what the NWS needs at this time. If NOAA will allow him to do his job, he will be an outstanding leader of the organization and will make it, once again, a superb asset for the nation.

 

[Mike Smith]

Here is some information that I hope someone will forward to Ken. I believe it needs to be near the top of his priority list:

National Weather Service Versus Tornadoes: Playing Defense

You don't want to be issuing [a tornado warning] on every one of those little circulations...because you are going to be alerting upwards of...

www.mikesmithenterprisesblog.com