A new chief arrives tomorrow (May 4) to head the Birmingham Forecast Office of the National Weather Service located at Shelby County Airport.
Well...they are not called chiefs...instead they are known as an MIC which means Meteorologist In Charge. In Havana Junction, we would have said simply "The Boss."
Jim Stefkovich is the new guy. He comes to Birmingham from Chicago where he was the MIC there, but as you can see from the attached press release, Jim has a lot of experience with the weather here in the Southeast.
We will surely miss Ken Graham who was promoted to the NWS Regional Office, Fort Worth...but we welcome Jim.
I was on the staff of the NWS for 32 years--all in the Birmingham Office. I started in 1957 when weather satellites had not been invented, we had no radar at that time either, no weather radio, no computers. So today's NWS is many light years ahead of 1957. I saw a lot of the technology evolve. I was especially glad that I got to see the development of weather radio. I spent countless hours on that. When I visit the office at Shelby County Airport, it still seems almost like home.
Here is the complete text of this morning's press release from the NWS:
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Veteran meteorologist Jim Stefkovich has been appointed Meteorologist in Charge (MIC) of the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office in Birmingham, Ala. Stefkovich replaces former MIC Ken Graham who was promoted to Systems Operations Division Chief at Southern Region Headquarters (SRH). The Birmingham office is one of 122 National Weather Service Forecast Offices in the nation and one of 32 serving in the Southern Region.
“A Meteorologist-in-Charge is the front line officer carrying out the National Weather Service mission of serving the American public by helping protect lives and property,” said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, director of the NOAA National Weather Service. “We are proud to have Jim Stefkovich serving in this important role.”
Stefkovich launched his NWS career in 1982 as a Student Trainee/Computer Programmer at NWS Techniques Development Laboratory in Silver Spring, Md. He served as a Meteorological Observer at the Weather Service Meteorological Observation site in Waycross, Ga. (1984) and became a Forecaster Intern at the Weather Service Office in Lake Charles, La. in 1985. Three years later, he moved to the Atlanta, Ga. office as a Forecaster. In 1991, he joined the SRH staff as the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) regional focal point responsible for coordinating WSR-88D implementation. He served as the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Fort Worth, Texas (1993 – 2000) before being promoted to Meteorologist-in-Charge (MIC) of the WFO in Jackson, Miss. He spent the last three years serving as MIC for the WFO in Chicago.
AJim Stefkovich offers a wealth of meteorological expertise and experience in severe weather forecasting as well as considerable skill in building vital service delivery relationships with local communities and our partners,” said Bill Proenza, director, National Weather Service Southern Region. “His leadership abilities will also serve to continue and enhance the fine record established by the outstanding staff in the Birmingham office.”
His hands on experience in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia provides Stefkovich with an excellent perspective on the volatile nature of the weather in the southeast region of the country. That experience will be a considerable asset in providing the citizens in Birmingham’s warning area with the best possible forecast and warning services.
Stefkovich is the recipient of numerous local and regional awards including Office Unit Citations and a Bronze Medal for superior service during hurricane and tornado outbreaks. He has also assisted in national leadership courses for multiple government agencies.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University (1983). He is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association and has authored and presented several papers at national conferences. Stefkovich has also served on several national NWS teams, including the Service Assessment Team for the deadly April 1998 tornado outbreak in Alabama and Georgia.
He lives with his wife Barbara and two daughters.
The National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. The NWS operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.
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On the Web:
NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA National Weather Service: http://weather.gov
NOAA National Weather Service Southern Region: http://www.srh.noaa.gov
Well...they are not called chiefs...instead they are known as an MIC which means Meteorologist In Charge. In Havana Junction, we would have said simply "The Boss."
Jim Stefkovich is the new guy. He comes to Birmingham from Chicago where he was the MIC there, but as you can see from the attached press release, Jim has a lot of experience with the weather here in the Southeast.
We will surely miss Ken Graham who was promoted to the NWS Regional Office, Fort Worth...but we welcome Jim.
I was on the staff of the NWS for 32 years--all in the Birmingham Office. I started in 1957 when weather satellites had not been invented, we had no radar at that time either, no weather radio, no computers. So today's NWS is many light years ahead of 1957. I saw a lot of the technology evolve. I was especially glad that I got to see the development of weather radio. I spent countless hours on that. When I visit the office at Shelby County Airport, it still seems almost like home.
Here is the complete text of this morning's press release from the NWS:
--------------------------------------------------------
Veteran meteorologist Jim Stefkovich has been appointed Meteorologist in Charge (MIC) of the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Office in Birmingham, Ala. Stefkovich replaces former MIC Ken Graham who was promoted to Systems Operations Division Chief at Southern Region Headquarters (SRH). The Birmingham office is one of 122 National Weather Service Forecast Offices in the nation and one of 32 serving in the Southern Region.
“A Meteorologist-in-Charge is the front line officer carrying out the National Weather Service mission of serving the American public by helping protect lives and property,” said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. David L. Johnson, director of the NOAA National Weather Service. “We are proud to have Jim Stefkovich serving in this important role.”
Stefkovich launched his NWS career in 1982 as a Student Trainee/Computer Programmer at NWS Techniques Development Laboratory in Silver Spring, Md. He served as a Meteorological Observer at the Weather Service Meteorological Observation site in Waycross, Ga. (1984) and became a Forecaster Intern at the Weather Service Office in Lake Charles, La. in 1985. Three years later, he moved to the Atlanta, Ga. office as a Forecaster. In 1991, he joined the SRH staff as the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) regional focal point responsible for coordinating WSR-88D implementation. He served as the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Fort Worth, Texas (1993 – 2000) before being promoted to Meteorologist-in-Charge (MIC) of the WFO in Jackson, Miss. He spent the last three years serving as MIC for the WFO in Chicago.
AJim Stefkovich offers a wealth of meteorological expertise and experience in severe weather forecasting as well as considerable skill in building vital service delivery relationships with local communities and our partners,” said Bill Proenza, director, National Weather Service Southern Region. “His leadership abilities will also serve to continue and enhance the fine record established by the outstanding staff in the Birmingham office.”
His hands on experience in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia provides Stefkovich with an excellent perspective on the volatile nature of the weather in the southeast region of the country. That experience will be a considerable asset in providing the citizens in Birmingham’s warning area with the best possible forecast and warning services.
Stefkovich is the recipient of numerous local and regional awards including Office Unit Citations and a Bronze Medal for superior service during hurricane and tornado outbreaks. He has also assisted in national leadership courses for multiple government agencies.
He holds a bachelor's degree in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University (1983). He is a member of the American Meteorological Society and National Weather Association and has authored and presented several papers at national conferences. Stefkovich has also served on several national NWS teams, including the Service Assessment Team for the deadly April 1998 tornado outbreak in Alabama and Georgia.
He lives with his wife Barbara and two daughters.
The National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. The NWS operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.
###
On the Web:
NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA National Weather Service: http://weather.gov
NOAA National Weather Service Southern Region: http://www.srh.noaa.gov