The Glasgow, MT, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) recently celebrated some new StormReady designations in northeast Montana. At one ceremony, WFO Glasgow Warning Coordination Meteorologist Tanja Fransen presents a certificate of appreciation to Richland County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Butch Renders (also known by some youth as "Santa Claus"). Renders accepted the certificate for Skywarn Spotter Gene Ronningen who could not attend. "He did an excellent damage survey with an amazing written up summary of a significant severe weather event that occurred on July 11, 2004. His efforts went above and beyond those that were requested and expected by the staff at WFO Glasgow," Fransen wrote.

WFO Glasgow WCM Tanja Fransen presents a certificate of appreciation to one of the Skywarn Spotters in Sheridan County, MT, for his timely reports and accurate descriptions of a rotating wall cloud that later produced three tornados. Due to Terry Willard's call on the evening of July 14, 2004, WFO Glasgow upgraded a severe thunderstorm warning to a tornado warning, and was able to get the message out to the public and emergency response personnel in a timely manner. The skywarn system worked liked a textbook case during that event, according to Fransen.

WCM John Robinson (right) of WFO Little Rock, AR, speaks about the cloud formations appearing on new postage stamps. At left is Little Rock Postmaster Doug Chipps. On October 5, 2004, WFO Little Rock and the United States Postal Service held a ceremony to unveil the "Cloudscapes" stamps in Arkansas. The ceremony was held at the Main Post Office in Little Rock. Chipps talked about the new stamps, their availability that day in Arkansas, and National Stamp Collecting Month. Robinson described the history of naming clouds, as well as the significance of many of the cloud formations to Arkansas. Also attending from WFO Little Rock were MIC Renee Fair, SOO Chris Buonanno, and Senior Forecasters Newton Skiles and John Lewis III. The NBC, ABC, and CBS television affiliates from Little Rock all covered the ceremony, as did a reporter and photographer from the Associated Press. Photo by John Lewis III, WFO Little Rock Senior Forecaster.

Meteorologist Heather Stanley of the Hastings, NE, Weather Forecast Office (WFO) speaks to 7th grade science students at Walnut Middle School in Grand Island, NE, on the many ways that hurricanes and tornados differ. The students tracked many hurricanes as they threatened the United States, and also studied other weather phenomenon. Stanley presented pictures of her home in coastal Alabama after the destruction of Hurricane Ivan. Many questions ensued about tropical storms and the damage they cause. After viewing the movie "Twister," the questions turned to the reality of the movie and tornados in the area this year. One student asked about whether or not Grand Island broke any records with the tornado event of June 3, 1980. Though this was before the student's lifetime, the event seemed to have left an impression for generations when 7 twisters touched down inside the city in about three hours, causing over $260 million in damage. "I was impressed," said Stanley of the 150 seventh graders in attendance. "One student asked about The Perfect Storm of 1991. He also asked what would happen if two hurricanes met one another in the ocean. Another asked if Hurricane Ivan would come far enough inland to bring some much needed rain to our region. They are learning early to be inquisitive about their world in a scientific light. It's wonderful."

Take a look at other NWS news, as submitted for the NOAA Weekly Report.