Contact: Abby Barber
Two months after a devastating tornado struck the Golden Triangle area, professionals from around the Southeast are gathering this week at Mississippi State to learn more about severe weather conditions.
From Friday through Sunday [Jan. 17-19], the university is serving as host to the second annual Southeast Severe Storms Symposium. More than 150 regional television meteorologists and other professional weather watchers are scheduled to attend.
A special Saturday afternoon program dealing with the recent tornados in Lowndes County will be open to interested members of the public. The session, which will last about two-and-a-half hours, gets under way at 3 p.m. in the Bost Extension Center auditorium.
"We encourage area residents to come and hear local and national forecasting and media perspectives regarding the recent tornado outbreak," said Michael E. Brown, an MSU assistant professor of geosciences. "The event also will be a great opportunity for them to glimpse the decision-making process behind tornado watches and warnings."
The geosciences department, along with the East Mississippi Chapter of the National Weather Association/American Meteorological Society, worked together in planning this year's program. The symposium's first gathering was held at MSU last year.
Weather Services International and AccuWeather, both national forecasting and weather graphics companies, are co-sponsors of the event.