AMS/NWA Chapter Meeting on Tuesday March 12th, 2024 at Noon - Our speaker is Stanley Christmas

[David McAnally]

Please set a reminder for Tuesday March 12th at 12PM Central (Noon) to join our monthly chapter meeting at the Fort Worth WFO/RFC (map) . Don't miss this one!  Please, plan to arrive after 11:45 AM. See rules below. We will also have the meeting online via Zoom (details below).The WFO address is 3401 Northern Cross Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76137

  Our speaker is Stanley Christmas, North Texas AMS/NWA Chapter Treasurer, retired NWS Forecaster-in-Charge and retired Air Force Reserve Lt Colonel Weather Officer. Stanley will speak about how "The Mount St Helens eruption in 1980 was the first time the National Weather Service (NWS) had to deal with a major volcanic ash plume in the United states."

This presentation will…

1. Review how the Fort Worth Weather Service Forecast Office (WSFO) operated in and around 1980.
2. Present the series GOES satellite photos used to track the ash plume from Washington State to North Texas over the four day period and highlight forecasting problems encountered.
3. Show examples of the NWS products actually issued to keep the aviation community and public updated on the event.
4. Review what the NWS did to improve its volcanic ash forecasting after 1980.

Stanley C. Christmas Biography:

Stanley graduated from North Texas State University in 1963 with a BA degree in political science.  He joined the Air Force and received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1964.  He served as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer from 1967 to 1973.  In 1969 to early 1970 he served at U-Tapao Airfield, Thailand with the B-52 bombers.  

In 1970, Stanley decided to follow his true passion, meteorology. After spending three years attending night school at the University of Colorado to obtain the qualifying math and physics, he applied for retraining as a Weather Officer.  He was accepted and the Air Force sent him to the University of Texas where he finished the required coursework in 1974.  This included 6 hours of graduate level courses. He then transferred to Scott AFB, IL.  At Scott AFB, he completed 3 more hours of masters coursework at St Louis University.

In 1976, the post-war Air Force was drawing down.   He transferred to the Air Force Reserve as a Weather Officer.  He was subsequently stationed at Carswell, AFB, Tx, Shepherd AFB, TX, Barksdale AFB, LA and lastly Hq, Air Weather Service, Scott AFB, Il.   In 1988, he retired at Scott AFB with the rank of Lt Colonel.

Stanley decided he wanted to work for the National Weather Service.  In February, 1976 he applied to the NWS and was accepted.  Stanley was assigned to the Fort Worth WSFO in June, 1976, where he spent his entire 23-year NWS service going from intern to a Forecaster-In-Charge.  Stanley retired from the NWS on January 1, 1999.  He co-authored, with Kenneth Falk, a Southern Region Tech memo titled “An Intense Heat Checklist Based On The 1980 Heat Wave“.

Stanley was instrumental in the resurrection of the AMS /NWS North Texas Chapter in 1982.  He served at the first President of the new chapter and has been very active in the chapter since then.  In 2006 he was elected Chapter Treasurer and has served in that position until now.

Because it is an active forecast office, there are ground rules that we will apply and adhere to. 

• First is the time to arrive. We will be allowed into the building 15 minutes prior to the meeting. We will not have access to the building and conference room before then. 
• Our movement will be confined to the entrance area, the conference room, and the hallway to the left that leads to the bathrooms. 
• We will not go into the operational areas. 
• Once the meeting concludes, we will depart the building in a timely fashion in order to not disrupt operations and allow the conference room to be available for other meetings.

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Please support our AMS/NWA chapter.  Those who have paid your annual dues, THANK YOU!  Members can pay their $10 dues by mail. The membership application form (pdf) with mailing address is on our web site. Dues are waived for anyone under 18 years of age.

Zoom meeting details follow...

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Join Zoom Meeting
<https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88069356197?pwd=NlV1cTIzcXltQVdFdWRMclBBTjBGQT09>

Meeting ID: 880 6935 6197
Passcode: amsnwameet

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Meeting ID: 880 6935 6197
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David McAnally
Chapter Secretary

NorthTexasAMS.org