Chapter Meeting

Topic: Being Prepared for Severe Weather

The United States is the most severe weather-prone country in the world. Each year, people in this country cope with an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,200 tornadoes, and two land-falling hurricanes. Approximately 90% of all presidentially declared disasters are weather-related, causing around 500 deaths each year and nearly $14 billion in damage.

The National Weather Service (NWS) developed a program called SKYWARN® in the 1960s that consists of trained weather spotters who provide reports of severe and hazardous weather to help meteorologists make life-saving warning decisions. Spotters are concerned citizens, amateur radio operators, truck drivers, mariners, airplane pilots, emergency management personnel, and public safety officials who volunteer their time and energy to report on hazardous weather impacting their community.

Speaker: Paul Yura, Warning Coordination Meteorologist, National Weather Service

Paul Yura is a Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service for Austin & San Antonio, Texas.  Paul was born and raised in Austin, went to school at the University of Texas before transferring to the University of Oklahoma where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in meteorology and attended graduate school. While going to school, he worked summers at the Austin Weather Service Office and the Norman Oklahoma NWS office. After graduation, Paul began his full time career with the National Weather Service in Brownsville, TX as a forecaster and then Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM). In 2008 Paul accepted the Warning Coordination Meteorologist position at the Austin-San Antonio weather office. As WCM, his primary job is to be the liaison between the National Weather Service and local media, citizens, county, state, and federal agencies as well as conduct storm damage surveys and community outreach.

Agenda (Subject to Change)

11:00-11:30 Registration / Mixer / Open Meeting / Lunch
11:30-11:45 Chapter Roundtable Discussion
11:45-12:00 Chapter Business / Announcements
12:00-12:50 Speaker Introductions / Technical Session / Q&A
12:50-1:00 Wrap-up, Door Prizes, Next Meeting Information, End