The Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research (OFCM) annually hosts the Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference (IHC) to educate attendees on the status and future plans of the Nation’s hurricane forecasting and warning program. Additionally, the IHC provides a forum for the responsible Federal agencies, together with representatives of the user communities such as emergency management, to review the Nation's hurricane forecasting and warning program and to make recommendations on how to improve the program in the future. During the IHC, the OFCM-sponsored Working Group for Hurricane and Winter Storms Operations and Research (WG/HWSOR) reviews submitted action items regarding the hurricane program, including recommended changes to the National Hurricane Operations Plan (NHOP). New approved procedures and agreements which are directly related to the provision of tropical cyclone forecasting and warning services are then documented for implementation in the NHOP, which is published annually prior to the upcoming hurricane season.

Conference Format

The 64th IHC will be held at the Hilton Savannah DeSoto in Savannah, Georgia, March 1 - 4, 2010. Similar to last year, please note that the conference will end on Thursday afternoon. The theme for this year’s conference is: “Meeting Operational Needs through Comprehensive Tropical Cyclone Research and Development.” The following provides an initial look at the planned activities for the week:

On Monday morning (8:30 am – 10:30 am), the Working Group for Hurricane and Winter Storms Operations and Research will meet to work action items and changes to the National Hurricane Operations Plan (NHOP).

The opening session of the conference will begin Monday afternoon at 12:30 pm. The afternoon’s agenda will include a keynote address, a panel discussion of senior leaders providing their perspective on the power of research and development partnerships to meet operational priorities; the introduction of the federal agency lead representatives; and a review of the 2009 hurricane/typhoon season from both an operations and reconnaissance perspective.

From Tuesday through Thursday, sessions are being planned on the following topics:

• Observations and Observing Strategies for Tropical Cyclones and their Environment
• Tropical Cyclone Model Development and Technology Transfer (e.g., global/regional models, data assimilation, physical processes, verification and diagnostic techniques, probabilistic guidance)
• Other Research to Improve the Prediction of Tropical Cyclone Intensity and Structure, Track, Precipitation, Coastal and Inland Inundation
• Products, Services, and Lessons Learned during the 2009 Tropical Cyclone Season
• Understanding Hurricane Response for Improved Stakeholder / User Reaction
• Joint Hurricane Testbed: Project Updates and Plans for the Future
• Poster Previews/Session

Before the Tuesday afternoon session concludes, the poster presenters will be given the opportunity to provide a 1-minute preview of their poster. Then, in conjunction with the poster session to follow, we are planning to have a cash bar and snacks.

In addition to the sessions identified above, a workshop is also being planned: “Assessment of Tropical Cyclone Research and Development in Meeting Operational Priorities.”

Thursday afternoon will be the closing Plenary Session.

Action Items:

The OFCM-sponsored WG/HWSOR reviews submitted action items regarding the Nation’s Forecasting and Warning Program, including recommended changes to the NHOP. Please provide action items to Mark Welshinger (mark.welshinger@noaa.gov) by Friday, January 29, 2010 and ensure that all action items are appropriately coordinated within your agency or chain of command.

Note: Submit action items using the following headings: Title, Submitter, Discussion, and Recommendation.

Presenters (oral and poster) should provide up to a 1-page abstract that summarizes their presentation. The abstract should indicate the title of abstract, authors and their e-mail addresses, and the organization. Please submit the abstract(s) to Mark Welshinger (mark.welshinger@noaa.gov) by Friday, January 29, 2010 and please ensure it is clear who will be the actual presenter (oral or poster) during the IHC. Guidelines for the abstract can be found here.

Note: The 1-page abstract for oral and poster presentations will be included in the conference brochure. All Powerpoint presentations will be available on the OFCM website following the conference.

Abstracts are due Friday, January 29, 2010. The final selection of presentations (oral and posters) will be made by February 12, 2010, and the selected authors will be notified. Note that all abstracts will be accepted for either an oral or poster presentation.