Dave Zittel, meteorologist with the Radar Operations Center in Norman, Okla., has been named the August Employee of the Month by the NOAA National Weather Service. This national award recognizes Zittel’s outstanding technical contribution to development of a new weather radar technique that has greatly enhanced NEXRAD weather radar.

Weather forecast offices and forecast centers can now employ extended radar range to provide better severe storm coverage, while recovering large amounts of wind velocity data for improved services. He accomplished this ambitious goal through timely transition of a new radar capability implemented via upgraded NEXRAD weather radar software. Dave contributed outstanding leadership and ingenuity towards developing and testing a new technique to recover lost data while extending the range coverage for storm detection.

As a result, he established a brilliantly innovative approach to an old problem. Dave significantly improved the NEXRAD system’s ability to deliver enhanced life-saving products, enabling forecast offices and flood prediction centers to apply this new capability to reduce storm-related deaths and injuries and serve commerce.

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