FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2007

MEDIA ADVISORY—UPDATED

NOAA TO ANNOUNCE 2007 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON OUTLOOK

NOAA will release the 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook on May 22, 2007. NOAA and U.S. Air Force Reserve hurricane research and reconnaissance aircraft will be available at the hangar for inspection and air crew members will be on hand for interviews. Aircraft will include NOAA's WP-3D Orion and Gulfstream IV, and a U.S. Air Force Reserve WC-130J.

WHAT: News conference to announce NOAA's 2007 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. An audio feed will be available for media. Please call David Miller for the phone numbers and pass code. A satellite media tour will be available with Gerry Bell, NOAA Climate Prediction Center lead seasonal Atlantic hurricane forecaster, from 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT. Booking for SMT: David Miller at (202) 482-0013.

WHEN: Tuesday, May 22, 2007, 11:00 a.m. EDT

WHERE: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Signature Flight Support
General Aviation Terminal Hangar 7
Washington, D.C.

WHO: Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., USN (Ret.), undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere, and NOAA administrator
David Paulison, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and undersecretary of homeland security for emergency preparedness and response
Bill Proenza, director, NOAA National Hurricane Center
Gerry Bell, NOAA Climate Prediction Center, lead seasonal Atlantic hurricane forecaster

Note: Video equipment must be set by 10:30 a.m. Members of the media will check-in at the General Aviation Terminal at Signature Flight Services. Credentials, a news media badge with photo or a photo ID with a business card, must be presented. Parking is available only at the economy lot directly adjacent to the General Aviation Terminal. Parking for satellite media trucks is limited. Please contact David Miller at (202) 482-0013 for details.

If arriving at Reagan National Airport by Metrorail disembark at the National Airport Station, proceed to the ground floor of the airport and board a courtesy airport shuttle to Economy Parking. A map of Ronald Reagan National Airport is available at http://www.metwashairports.com/reagan/parking_transportation_4/parking_2

FACT SHEET
NOAA SUPPORT FOR HURRICANE FORECASTING AND RESEARCH

Hurricane warnings and forecasts are a top priority for NOAA.

• More than $300 million dedicated to these services in 2006.
• The NOAA National Hurricane Center budget has increased 32 percent, from $4.6 million in 2003 to $6.3 million in 2007.
  
  Research improves hurricane forecasting
• Since 2005, more than $40 million in additional funding has been allocated to research and operational efforts as well as additional personnel.
• Hurricane track forecasting has improved significantly—with NOAA's five-day forecast now as accurate as three-day forecasts were ten years ago.
• Average 24-hour track deviations—forecast versus actual—have been reduced from 230 nautical miles in 1987 to 99 nautical miles in 2005.
• During the 2007 hurricane season, the NOAA National Hurricane Center will begin operational use of NOAA's next generation tropical cyclone model, the Hurricane Weather Research and Forecasting model, or HWRF, which will enhance the Hurricane Center's ability to predict storm intensity.

NOAA-wide funding for hurricane-related operations in 2006 included:

• $170 million for weather satellite operations
• $82 million to support forecast operations at coastal weather forecast offices
• $6 million for weather supercomputers
• $16.1 million for NOAA hurricane hunter aircraft operations
• $6.3 million for NOAA National Hurricane Center operations
• $3.2 million for NOAA Hurricane Research Division

Additional resources for hurricane research since 2005 included:

• $5 million in increases to accelerate the next generation Hurricane Forecast Model that is being placed into operations for the 2007 hurricane season.
• $9 million to deploy and operate 15 new hurricane data buoys.
• $5 million to improve storm surge forecast from hurricane events.
• $3.4 million to install a new radar system on NOAA's hurricane surveillance aircraft.
• $6 million for improved warning dissemination and backup communications.
• $2 million for hurricane intensity research.
• $10 million to install Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer instruments on two NOAA and 10 U.S. Air Force Reserve hurricane hunter aircraft. These instruments provide essential data on hurricane structure, surface wind and rain rate.

Relevant Web Sites:
NOAA Hurricanes Portal

NOAA National Hurricane Center

Media Contact:
Greg Romano, NOAA National Weather Service, (301) 713-0622