NOAA’S NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SELECTS NEW LEADER
OF INDIANAPOLIS WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE

NOAA’s National Weather Service has named Daniel McCarthy to serve as meteorologist-in-charge of the weather forecast office in Indianapolis. McCarthy previously served as the warning coordination meteorologist for NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.

“With his well-earned reputation as one of the most knowledgeable experts in the areas of severe weather and tornadoes, Dan possesses a wealth of weather forecasting knowledge that will well serve the people of Indiana and the weather service’s central region,” said National Weather Service central region director Lynn P. Maximuk. “I know Dan’s experience and leadership will be assets to the staff and the people of Indiana. He will continue to promote the excellent coordination with local governments and the business community, as well as supporting public outreach and media coordination that have been strong points of the Indianapolis office.”

McCarthy joined NOAA’s National Weather Service at the National Public Service Unit of the then National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City in June 1987 and was promoted to Severe Local Storms Unit assistant in 1989. In 1992, he moved to the Center’s National Aviation Advisory Unit, returning to SELS as a Mesoscale Forecaster a year later. McCarthy was at the National Severe Storms Forecast Center when it moved to Norman, Okla., and became NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center Oct. 1, 1995. He has held several Storm Prediction Center positions and became the center’s first warning coordination meteorologist in 1999, holding that position until his recent selection and promotion to Indianapolis.

A Cleveland, Ohio, native, McCarthy received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in meteorology from St. Louis University in 1978 and 1984, respectively. He spent three years working for the state of Ohio after getting his bachelor’s degree before returning to earn his master’s. He started his weather career in the private sector, working for Great Lakes Weather in Wisconsin from November 1983 to November 1984; and for WeatherData Inc., in Wichita, Kan., from November 1984 to June 1987. At those jobs, he provided forecasts for portions of Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Oklahoma.

In addition to establishing the National Severe Weather Workshop for emergency managers, media and severe weather forecasters, McCarthy has co-authored several publications dealing with severe weather and has received numerous NOAA and National Weather Service performance awards. He is a member of the American Meteorological Society, the National Weather Association, and the International Association of Emergency Managers.

“I am looking forward to working with the fine forecasters and staff at the Indianapolis forecast office and to serving the people of central Indiana,” McCarthy said. “This area comes with some significant weather challenges, from tornadoes to heavy snow to droughts. In cooperation with area media and emergency management agencies, we will continue to provide the best weather services around and will strive for constant improvement of those services.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA’s National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov

National Weather Service in Indianapolis: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ind