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Updated December 11, 2007
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About the Conference

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 forecast 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 forecast and warning program and to make recommendations on how to improve the program in the future. The major objective is to plan and prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. New procedures, procedural changes, and agreements, which are approved at the conference and are directly related to the provision of tropical cyclone forecast and warning services, are then documented for implementation in the National Hurricane Operations Plan, which is published annually.

Conference Format
The conference will be held at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina, from Monday, March 3, through Friday, March 7, 2008. The theme for this year’s conference is Tropical Cyclone Operations and Research: Priorities for the Future. The following provides an initial look at the planned activities for the week:

The conference will begin Monday afternoon. The afternoon’s agenda will include a keynote address; a panel discussion of senior leaders providing their perspective on tropical cyclone research priorities; the introduction of the federal agency lead representatives; and a review of the 2007 hurricane/typhoon season from both an operations and reconnaissance perspective.

From Tuesday through Thursday, sessions are being planned on the following topics:
  • Observing the Tropical Cyclone and its Environment.
  • Tropical Cyclone Modeling and Prediction.
  • Products and Services.
  • Winds, Storm Surge, and Inland Flooding: Mitigating the Impacts of Landfalling Storms.
  • 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.

During the course of the week, two workshops are being planned. The first workshop - Interagency Priorities for Tropical Cyclone Research - will begin addressing the priorities for research detailed in Table 5.1, Research Priorities for Atmospheric and Ocean Science, in the Interagency Strategic Plan for Tropical Cyclone Research: The Way Ahead. The second workshop - Strong Local Partnerships: The Key to Success - will continue to build upon the results of an exploratory review conducted at Charleston, SC, and Mobile, AL, regarding the flow of information associated with the Nation’s tropical cyclone forecast and warning program.

On Thursday afternoon, the Working Group for Hurricane and Winter Storm Operations will meet to work IHC action items and changes to the National Hurricane Operations Plan (NHOP).

Friday morning will be the closing Plenary Session.

Please remember that your 1-page abstracts are due by, Friday, February 1, 2008.