Join us at the Southern New England Weather Conference on Saturday, Oct. 26th from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at MEDITECH in Canton, MA. Enjoy a day of learning and networking with weather and climate enthusiasts and professionals.

The “Southern New England Weather Conference” provides a place for weather enthusiasts and professionals alike to gather and share their interest, knowledge, and expertise on topics relating to the weather and the climate. Whether you are a seasoned professional or have just a casual interest, the Southern New England Weather Conference will excite you with information that affects New Englanders’ daily lives, including winter weather forecasting, extreme weather, hurricanes, climate change, emergency preparedness and much more. Please see the full agenda below. Of note, this ticketed conference includes breakfast and a sumptuous hot lunch. All proceeds support the Blue Hill Observatory’s “Weather Observation Program” that maintains a historic 139-year climate record at Great Blue Hill considered one of the most pristine in the country.

OCTOBER 26, 2024 8:00 AM Registration and Breakfast  Morning Plenary Session 8:30 AM—Introductions

• Master of Ceremonies— Harvey Leonard, Chief Meteorologist Emeritus, WCVB
• Conference Introduction—Charles Orloff, Executive Director, Blue Hill Observatory

8:40 AM “Advancing National Weather Service Products and Services in a Rapidly Changing Technological World”, Michelle Mainelli, National Weather Service Deputy Director 9:25 AM “Climate Ready Workforce”, Frank Niepold, Climate Education Program Manager & Coordinator, Climate Ready Workforce Program Manager, NOAA 10:10 AM—Break until Focused Weather Track or Education Track Morning Focused Weather Track 10:25 AM “Forecasting Flash Flood Events Across Varying Time Scales”, Rob Megnia, National Weather Service Meteorologist 10:55 AM “Making Wholesale Last Minute Changes: Going Against Prior Messaging During the February 13, 2024 Nor’easter”, Hayden Frank, National Weather Service Senior Meteorologist 11:25 AM “Ten Years Later: The Science Behind Snowmageddon”, Michael Souza, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, Meteorologist Morning Focused Education Track 10:25 AM “How Do We Use Historical and Real Time Weather Data to Understand Future Weather and Changes to the Environment?”, Krista Fincke, Blue Hill Observatory, Director of STEM Education 10:55 AM “Understanding Weather Extremes with Big Data with Common Online Data Analysis Platform”, Brian Fitzgerald, Mount Washington Observatory, Director of Education 11:30 AM “Students and Citizen Scientists Collecting and Sharing Climate Data with GLOBE”, Peter Garik, Boston University GLOBE 12 Noon—Lunch Post Lunch Plenary 1:00 PM “A Storm Too Soon: A True Story of Disaster, Survival, and Incredible Rescue”, Michael Tougias, Author and Speaker Afternoon Focused Education Track 1:50 PM “Illustrated Graphs: Using Art to Enliven Climate Data”, Brian Fitzgerald, Mount Washington Observatory, Director of Education 2:15 PM “Using Weather Data to Integrate Data Literacy”, Krista Fincke, Blue Hill Observatory, Director of STEM Education Afternoon Focused Climate Track 1:50 PM “Weather Extremes at Blue Hill Observatory: How Fast Are They Changing?”, Michael Iacono, Blue Hill Observatory, Chief Scientist 2:15 PM “How Massachusetts is Preparing for Climate Change”, Edwin Sumargo, Climate Scientist; Margot Mansfield, Assistant Climate Scientist; Caitlin Spence, Assistant Climate Scientist (MA Office of Climate Science) 2:50 PM—Break Late Afternoon Plenary 3:00 PM “New England Uncharted: The Dynamical Dance of Extreme Weather and Climate”, Chris Gloninger, NBC Boston Channel 10, Meteorologist 3:35 PM “Seasonal Outlooks at the Climate Prediction Center and the NOAA 2024-2025 Winter Outlook”, Jon Gottschalck, NOAA, Climate Prediction Center, Chief of Operational Prediction 3:55 PM Panel Discussion: “Winter 2024-2025 Outlook,” Jon Gottschalck, NOAA, Climate Prediction Center, Chief, Operational Prediction Branch; Jeremy Reiner, Meteorologist WHDH; Harvey Leonard, Chief Meteorologist Emeritus, WCVB Channel 5 4:30 PM—Adjourn