NOAA Commemorates the 10th Anniversary of the May 3, 1999 Tornado Outbreak

Weather experts and those affected by the May 3, 1999 tornado outbreak including emergency managers, first responders and city officials will speak at the “May 3 Tornado Outbreak 10th Anniversary Event,” sponsored by NOAA.

The daylong conference will include four sessions focusing on Science and Technology, Emergency Preparedness and Recovery, Community and Societal Impacts, and Individual Impacts: The People Speak. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 1 at the National Weather Center (NWC), 120 David L. Boren Blvd., Norman, OK.

National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) Research Meteorologist Harold Brooks will speak on:  “May 3:  An Historical Perspective.”  Doug Forsyth, NOAA Program Manager for NWC will talk about “Building the National Weather Center.”  Don Burgess, retired federal NSSL research meteorologist, now with the Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies will discuss “Radar and Weather Research Contributing to Better Forecasts.”

Moderators of the event’s sessions will be local television meteorologists.   Session speakers will discuss progress in weather warnings, community preparedness and recovery operations over the past 10 years.   Representatives from towns devastated by the May 3, 1999 tornadoes will share their experiences.  The importance of tornado warnings and safety, then and now, will be highlighted.

Significance:  NOAA research provided tools and knowledge that contributed to the effective warnings provided by the National Weather Service on May 3, 1999.

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