Greater Milwaukee Chapter of the AMS

At last week's Chapter meeting Dr. Paul Roebber spoke about applications of machine learning (artificial intelligence) in weather forecasting. A key point was that machine learning models could revolutionize weather prediction with their great speed and efficiency, but questions remain as to the degree to which they could replace traditional physics-based models. Among those in attendance were UWM Professors Jon Kahl (emeritus) and Sergei Kravtsov, retired NWS meteorologist Kevin Lynott, and Fair Skies Consulting meteorologist Mark McGinnis. Also, joining us remote from the NOAA Global Systems Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, was Dr. Clark Evans. Thanks to Dr. Roebber for his excellent talk, and thanks to all who attended!

The next meeting of the Greater Milwaukee AMS Chapter is coming up on Tuesday, May 12, at 7:00pm.The meeting will feature a talk by Professor Paul Roebber on the topic "Machine Learning: A Status Update with Applications to Atmospheric Science". All meteorologists, weather enthusiasts and concerned citizens are encouraged to attend!

Our next Chapter meeting is coming up on Thursday, April 16. "Climate Change: Science and Faith Perspectives" will be the topic. All are welcome to attend!

From the Chapter President... Heartbreaking and heartwarming—That's how I would sum up the meeting of the Greater Milwaukee Chapter of the American Meteorological Society this past Wednesday evening. Heartbreaking to hear the panelists—Mark Baden, Paul Roebber and Kevin Lynott—candidly assess what a difficult time this is in all corners of our field of meteorology—private sector (such as broadcasting), public sector (NOAA/National Weather Service) and academia. Heartwarming to see our small community drawing together to support each other and move forward nonetheless. Thanks to the panelists for leading the discussion, and thanks to the audience of students, professionals and weather enthusiasts who attended!

Our next Chapter meeting is coming up on Wednesday, April 23, at 7:00pm.The meeting will feature a discussion panel of three speakers on the topic "The Future of Education and Employment in the Field of Meteorology". All meteorologists, weather enthusiasts and concerned citizens are encouraged to attend!

On Monday, March 24, the Greater Milwaukee AMS Chapter will meet jointly online with the Atmospheric Science Club at UWM. The topic will be "Meteorology and Emergency Management", and our speakers will be Amber Liggett and Elyzabeth Estrada. Meteorologists, weather enthusiasts and emergency managers are encouraged to attend!
The meeting will be conducted online through Microsoft Teams. Before the talk, the link to meet in Microsoft Teams will be sent to all Chapter members and friends. Note that the start time is 4:00pm.

Yesterday evening (10/30) Greater Milwaukee AMS Chapter members and friends were treated to a fascinating introduction to "weathergami" by UWM Professor Jon Kahl. Adapted from the concept of scorigami, which is used widely in sports, the weathergami chart provides a new way to visualize climate data at various locations. A shortened version of Professor Kahl's original published paper on this subject, including a brief interview, is featured in the recent September 2024 issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. (See attached images) The full article can be accessed at this link: https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/104/10/BAMS-D-23-0035.1.xml
Thanks to Professor Kahl for his excellent talk, and thanks to all who attended!

Our next Chapter meeting is on the calendar for Wednesday, October 30! UWM Atmospheric Science Professor Jonathan Kahl will be speaking. The title of his talk is "Weathergami--An Innovative Look at Climate Data". All meteorologists, weather enthusiasts, and climate data enthusiasts are encouraged to attend!
Note that the meeting will be held on the UWM campus in Lapham Hall, Room N103.

On Thursday evening (5/2) the Greater Milwaukee Chapter of the AMS gathered in-person to hear National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan meteorologists Kevin Lynott (Meteorologist-in-Charge) and Kevin Wagner (Lead Forecaster), who presented a wide-ranging overview of the NWS today. The speakers graciously responded to questions from the audience, and remained afterward for continued conversations. Among those on hand were: certified consulting meteorologist Mark McGinnis (Fair Skies Consulting), Rick Swierczynski (Milwaukee Area Skywarn Association), and Kaitlyn Heinlein (manager of the UW-Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Professional Master's Program). Thanks to our speakers, and thanks to all who attended!

Our next Chapter meeting is on the calendar for Thursday, May 2! Kevin Lynott, Meteorologist-in-Charge at the National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan office, and Lead Forecaster Kevin Wagner will be speaking. The title of their talk is "Intro to the National Weather Service and Applying Science to our Operations". All meteorologists and weather enthusiasts are encouraged to attend!
Note that the meeting will be held on the UWM campus in Lubar Hall, Room N140. Also--back by popular demand--after the meeting we will re-convene for further conversation at the Gasthaus on the lower level of the UWM Union!