Ticker for October 21, 2013

                
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October 21, 2013   October 21, 2013   October 21, 2013   October 21, 2013


Oklahoma Mesonet wins major award!

No, it was not from Italy and marked "fragile."



Quite a bit more prestigious than that one. This award came to the Mesonet from
the National Weather Association (NWA). Mesonet Manager/OCS Associate Director
Dr. Chris Fiebrich traveled with OCS Director Emeritus Dr. Ken Crawford to
Charleston, South Carolina, last week to the NWA's annual conference to accept
the award. The award itself is the "Larry R. Johnson Special Award" (plaque
pictured here)



and is presented "to an individual or group to recognize unique events or
extraordinary accomplishments which significantly contributed to operational
meteorology." The NWA awarded the Mesonet for " ?operating a comprehensive
observing network with a 20-year legacy of exemplary service for the residents of
Oklahoma that earned the title of America?s ?gold standard? network from the
National Research Council.?

There you go. This doesn't go to just any group of clodhoppers. This is an
accomplishment that the state of Oklahoma can be proud of as home to one of the
preeminent meteorological observing networks in not only the U.S., but across
the globe.

Here's the full press release that I've been stealing quotes from.

https://content.mesonet.org/ticker/archive/20131021/Mesonet-NWA-Award.doc

Here are a couple of quotes to keep you warm while you're on the lookout for
grizzly bears down by Pulaski's candy store.

?This national award is incredibly meaningful to the team of scientists
and engineers that have worked on the Mesonet over the past two
decades,? said Chris Fiebrich, Manager of the Mesonet. ?We are proud to
be part of a project that makes Oklahoma stand out as a national leader.?


?This is a tremendous honor that recognizes the innovation and service-
oriented dedication of all current and former employees of the Mesonet
from both the University of Oklahoma (OU) and Oklahoma State University
(OSU)," said Kevin Kloesel, Director of the Oklahoma Climatological
Survey.
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Speaking of the Mesonet, how about those temperatures, huh (awaiting for my
major segue award!)? Much of the NW half of the state managed to drop below
freezing over the weekend. This Mesonet map shows how many stations have reached
32?F or below so far this year, and on how many days.



It wasn't the earliest freeze on record, but it was too early for me. I much
prefer this map, but I will relent to those that suffer from allergies that
need a good freeze (the air temperatures, not the people!) to kill off some of
those nasty microscopic irritants.



There are no horribly cold temperatures showing up for the next week just yet,
but we know that can change in a hurry. And we are hearing rumblings of a
possible deep freeze just in time for Halloween, so stay tuned to your favorite
forecaster as the spooky day draws nearer.

Gary McManus
Associate State Climatologist
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253
gmcmanus@mesonet.org