| Our Meteorologist in Charge (MIC), Tom Ainsworth, is the director of the local Weather Forecast Office and serves under the administrative direction of the Regional Director. The MIC in Juneau is ultimately responsible for the effective and efficient delivery, evaluation, and improvement of all NWS services across Southeast Alaska and eastern Gulf of Alaska - the third largest Weather Forecast Office area of responsibility nationwide. The Juneau MIC provides leadership to 22 employees, plans and executes an annual budget, oversees service to a broad spectrum of customers, and fosters close working relationships with other government agencies, news media, universities, and the Meteorological Services of Canada office in Vancouver. The MIC fills in as a forecaster as needed. |  |
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Ursula Jones, our Administrative Support Assistant (ASA), acts as the principal administrative assistant to the Meteorologist-in-Charge, performs a wide range of administrative functions for the staff management team. Performs technical aspects of all administrative programs and activities for the office related to budget, travel, training, personnel actions, time and attendance, mail, office supplies and equipment, etc. Acts as liaison with Regional Headquarters and other offices. |
Our Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM), Joel Curtis, is in charge of the warning program at the forecast office. This includes creating warning policy and insuring its adherence, coordination with emergency managers in our forecast area of responsibility, and verification of watches and warnings. The WCM is also active in community outreach, promoting weather awareness, and informing the local community about NWS operations. In addition, Joel, serves as an Incident Meteorologist on Federal or State incidents such as wildland fires and oil spills. Joel is also the person you need to talk to become a weather spotter. |
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Carl Dierking, our Science and Operations Officer (SOO), actively strives to improve the quality and scientific basis for NWS forecast products. The SOO is responsible for managing the office training program and supporting research initiatives. He promotes or develops training opportunities for staff, such as local presentations, web-based modules, or attendance at seminars to infuse the latest science into forecast operations. He also conducts research or assists other forecasters with studies that will help the office gain a better understanding of the local weather. The SOO aids in writing and developing new computer software to improve the weather forecast and warning process. |
| The Information Technology Officer (ITO), Vacant as of 12/31/2012, establishes and performs work necessary to plan, design, develop, acquire, document, test, implement, integrate, maintain, or modify systems for solving problems or accomplishing work processes by using computers. This includes analyzing and evaluating work concerned with integrated systems of computer programs and/or computer equipment. The ITO applies available technologies and basic management principles to adapt computer methods to a variety of subject matter situations. In addition, he trains office personnel on new software developed by the National Weather Service. The ITO also writes software programs to address local needs, problems and projects, maintains the office Web pages and keeps the management team and other office teams informed of, and make recommendations on, computer-related issues. |  |
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The Senior Service Hydrologist, Aaron Jacobs, oversees the hydrology programs at WFO Juneau. He also coordinates with many of our partner agencies to monitor rivers levels, water supply and drought conditions in order to improve our services. Some of these agencies include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, and various water management authorities in Southeast Alaska at state, district, county and city levels. |
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The Electronics Systems Analyst (ESA) oversees the Electronics Technicians and serves as the site's lead technical focal point for maintenance on all electronic systems and electronic equipment for assigned local and remote areas, and serves as the immediate supervisor for the site's field maintenance electronics staff. The Electronic Technicians (ET) provides field maintenance technical services (e.g., installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, calibration) and related support for a wide range of complex electronic, electro-mechanical, data acquisition, communications equipment, and computer systems. The ET implements nationally issued technical orders issued by higher levels (e.g., system/equipment modification, software upgrade) plans and conducts complex tests, and analyzes results. The ET also provides Information Technology (IT) support in the administration, monitoring, operation, and maintenance of the site's computer systems, Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), and associated hardware and software. |
Top row (left to right) - Bob & Stephen. Middle row - Jim, Edward, & Nicole. Bottom row - Rick, Brian, & Wes. | |
There are two types of forecasters at WFO Juneau - Lead Forecaster and Journeyman Forecaster. The Lead Forecaster serves as shift leader, routinely supervising at least one General Forecaster and one Hydro-meteorological Technician or Intern. The Lead Forecaster ensures the provision of general weather information, warnings, advisories, and forecasts to the general public and special user groups in the WFO service area. The Lead is responsible for all NWS service products, warnings, and advisories produced on the shift, and for their coordination with other NWS offices. The forecaster leads and coordinates WFO staff efforts and provides direction, guidance, instructions, and assistance to the shift staff. During an assigned shift, the forecaster is responsible for integrating all meteorological data available from a variety of sources, and for analyzing and assessing the current and forecast weather situation at both the synoptic and mesoscale levels. The forecaster devises and formulates all necessary warning, advisory, and forecast products assigned to his/her forecast "desk" during the shift, with emphasis on meeting the needs of the users. The journeyman forecaster typically is in charge of issuing the routine forecast package, twice a day. This includes the public forecasts, marine forecasts, and fire weather forecasts (during the summer season). | |
| The Observation Program Leader (OPL), Kimberly, ensures that a full range of technical support and assistance is provided for WFO operations and other basic activities, especially the incorporation of timely, high quality observational data into WFO forecast and warning decision making processes. The high quality observational data is extensively used to support NOAA's climate mission. The OPL is a team leader of a staff for data management, acquisition, quality, and customer interaction. The incumbent also assists forecasters during the forecast process. |  |
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Geri, our Hydrometeorological Technician (HMT), performs a wide variety of duties. The HMT answers meteorological inquiries during normal phone hours. The HMT issues and quality controls climatological, hydrologic, and meteorological products. The HMT actively monitors the CRS, the Alaska Weather Line, and the status of the radars. The HMT also assists forecasters during the forecast process. |
| Our Meteorological Interns, Richard and Tim, alongside the HMTs, work the Public Desk, answering public phone calls and coordinating with the media to provide timely, accurate information to the community. The intern is also in training to become a fully qualified journeyman forecaster. Occasionally, the intern will sit with a forecaster and learn how to issue forecast products. The intern also completes a good number of training modules to gain forecaster competency. The intern training program generally takes around two years to complete. |  |
