March 16, 2007

The Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium and Weatherfest will focus on extremes of the region's climate with a variety of topics, events and hands-on activities for the entire family. The event will be held at UNL's newly remodeled Hardin Hall at North 33rd and Holdrege streets Saturday, March 24.

"Severe Weather on the Plains: Past, Present and Future," the symposium's theme, will focus on broad topics ranging from global warming and climate change to emergency management. Plans include the showing of storm videos, talks by climate professionals on dealing with severe weather and free information and displays by weather- and environment-related organizations.

Hardin Hall, formerly the Nebraska Center for Continuing Education and now home to UNL's School of Natural Resources, "is a state-of-the-art teaching and research facility that will provide the perfect location for interactive presentations and the space for many activities and displays," said symposium host and regional climatologist Ken Dewey of UNL's High Plains Regional Climate Center. Last year's symposium was held at Lincoln Southwest High School.

The free, family-oriented event also helps train and inform storm chasers, storm researchers, emergency management professionals and storm trackers and is timed to coincide with the state's Severe Weather Awareness Week.

"As has been popular at past severe weather symposiums, a weather balloon will be launched, weather permitting, and tracked by computer from the symposium site. Those attending are invited to participate in storm spotter training and to see presentations on becoming a volunteer storm spotter," Dewey said.

Many national and local experts will be featured at the event. Among them is University Corporation for Atmospheric Research climatologist Robert Henson, author of "Rough Guide to Climate Change" and "Rough Guide to Weather" who will speak on issues of global warming and its potential to impact weather extremes; Storm Prediction Center meteorologist Roger Edwards, an expert on severe weather and large venues; and Paul Kocin, former chief editor of the American Meteorological Society journal "Weather and Forecasting" and contributing editor for "Weatherwise" magazine who will speak on Plains snowstorms. Kocin was the on-air winter weather expert on the Weather Channel from 1999-2006.

Special sessions throughout the day include local television meteorologists answering weather questions, how to build a tornado generator, morning and afternoon showings of spectacular storm videos, training on how to photograph weather events like a pro and a family exhibit called "Get Weather Wise with Weather Whys." Also showing both in the morning and afternoon, at no charge, is the Academy Award-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" and the Canadian television documentary "The Great Warming."

Exhibitors will provide information on severe weather safety and demonstrations on topics including search and rescue techniques, volunteering for emergency management, and hands-on models of key weather concepts for kids, Dewey said. "These presentations will be entertaining and educational for every member of the family," he said.

The event is organized by UNL's High Plains Regional Climate Center and the UNL School of Natural Resources and the Lancaster County Office of Emergency Management and is sponsored by State Farm Insurance.

Steven W. Ress
Communications Coordinator, UNL Water Center