33rd NWA ANNUAL MEETING
REGISTER NOW!

The National Weather Association's 33rd Annual Meeting will be held at the Galt House Hotel & Suites, on the waterfront in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, October 11-16, 2008.

THEME: Utilizing Our Past to Improve Our Future

REGISTER NOW Online or Onsite when you arrive! Click here for the registration rates and the online credit card registration instructions. Registration will also be offered onsite daily during the Annual Meeting.

EXHIBIT OPPORTUNITIES: Click here for exhibit information and an exhibit application.

Meeting schedule, hotel accommodations and additional planning information follows -- The Annual Meeting Program Committee Chair is John Gordon, the Meteorologist-In-Charge at the NOAA/NWS Forecast Office, 6201 Theiler Lane, Louisville, KY 40229; annualmeeting@nwas.org; (502) 969-8842.
The Broadcaster Workshop Program Chair is Bryan Karrick, KCCI-TV Meteorologist, 888 Ninth Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309; bkarrick@hearst.com. Contact them with your suggestions and/or to volunteer to help with the program.

Professional Development Opportunities will include:

Saturday, October 11: On-site registration will begin, training may be offered by corporate members, exhibits will set up, and the seventh annual golf outing in support of scholarships will occur, weather permitting.

Sunday, October 12: Weather Broadcaster Workshop will include special presentations, exhibits and hands-on workshops appropriate to continuing education for weathercasters, but open to all interested. The annual TAPE SWAP will be on Sunday evening. Inaugural NWA Student Session will provide guidance for students regarding how to best prepare themselves to enter the workplace; includes a large student poster session and networking opportunities with broadcasters and other NWA members.

Monday – Thursday, October 13 - 16: General Sessions will consist of 16 oral and poster sessions including three historical weather sessions. Topics targeted include Weather Hazards (Intense Cold & Heat, and Wind), Tropical Weather, Ensemble Prediction & Pattern Recognition, Instrumentation & Techniques (Radar, Satellite, Observations and Mesonet), Severe Weather (Tornadoes, Wind and Hail, Lightning, and Cool Season Tornadoes), Winter Weather, HAZMAT & Emergency Response, Weather and Societal Impacts, Flooding, and much more!

Student presentations will be reviewed by the NWA Weather Analysis and Forecasting Committee members and monetary awards will be presented to the best in undergraduate and graduate student categories.

The NWA Annual Awards Luncheon will be on Wednesday, October 15th.

Abstract Submissions: The deadline for submission of abstracts has passed. 240 abstracts were received – the greatest number ever for a NWA Annual Meeting – thanks very much to all authors submitting. Questions regarding abstracts should be sent to the program committee at: annualmeeting@nwas.org

Authors will be notified regarding the disposition of their abstracts by August 15, 2008. Authors can find instructions for FTP'ing their presentations here. This will facilitate a smooth transition from one speaker to the next during the Annual Meeting presentation sessions.

Annual Meeting Hotel Information:

The Galt House, located at 140 N. Fourth St., Louisville, Kentucky 40202, is a full-service hotel and convention center. Located in the heart of a revitalized downtown Louisville, many attractions and restaurants are located within easy walking distance. More hotel information can be viewed at Web site: www.galthouse.com. Information on surface transportation to/from the airport and other nearby locations is available at: http://www.galthouse.com/default.aspx?ID=390.

The hotel offers two types of rooms. “Deluxe Rooms” in the West Tower and “Suites” in the East Tower. The towers are connected by a wide, enclosed walkway.

NWA room rates are as follows:
West Tower Rooms - $97 per night
East Tower Suites - $130 per night
For both types of lodging, up to four people may be accommodated for an additional charge of $10 per night per person. This option may be of interest to students.

You may reserve a room either by phone or online. For phone reservations please call the Galt House reservations at 1-800-843-4258 and request the National Weather Association 2008 group rate. A credit card number will be requested but no charges will be made at the time of the reservation. For online reservations, visit www.galthouse.com, go to “Reservations” and follow the directions for making group reservations. The ID Number to use for this meeting is 829545.

Please reserve your hotel room NO LATER THAN September 10, 2008 to be able to obtain the NWA discount rates.

Additional Plans:     Thanks to Betsy Kling, the Seventh Annual Golf Outing to benefit the NWA Scholarship Fund will be held at Shawnee Golf Course in Louisville (10 minutes from the hotel and right on the river) http://www.shawneegolfcourse.com/golf/proto/playshawneegolf/. First tee time will be Noon and the fee will be only $75. Rental clubs will be available for only $5 which may be a nice option for those flying in view of increased charges for baggage.

The preliminary agenda can be found here, and will be found in the Newsletter.

For more information on exhibits, special accommodations and the overall meeting program, please see the Web site updates or contact the NWA office at Tel/Fax: (919) 845-1546 or e-mail: exdir@nwas.org. See you in Derby City!