About Our Office

Forecast and Warning Area

The Lincoln NWS forecast office is responsible for 35 counties across central, east central, and southeast Illinois, covering a total of 19,343 square miles and a population of approximately 1.65 million. Additionally, we serve as the liaison between the NWS offices that cover Illinois, and the State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield. 

Our County Warning Area includes the cities of Bloomington/Normal, Champaign/Urbana, Decatur, Effingham, Galesburg, Jacksonville, Mattoon,  Olney, Peoria, and Springfield.

Our Hydrologic Service Area includes the following rivers in central and southeast Illinois:

• Illinois River from the Bureau/Putnam County border south to Beardstown.
• Mackinaw River
• Spoon River
• Sangamon River
• Vermilion River near Danville
• Embarras River
• Little Wabash River from Clay City upstream

Our Staff

There currently are 19 people that work at our office:

• Meteorologist-in-Charge (Ryan Knutsvig):  
  The MIC oversees the operations of the Weather Forecast Office.  Besides administrative duties and personnel management, the MIC will fill forecast shifts as needed.
   
• Warning Coordination Meteorologist (Ed Shimon):  
  The WCM coordinates all warning functions within the office. This includes conducting spotter training, and working with local emergency managers and media personnel.  The WCM will fill forecast shifts as needed.
   
• Science and Operations Officer (Andy Taylor):  
  The SOO is the office's principal and senior science adviser, and is in charge of all systems training for the employees.  The SOO makes sure that the staff is kept up to date on advances in meteorological forecasting and warning operations, and makes sure our products meet local, regional, and national NWS standards. The SOO will fill forecast shifts as needed.
   
• Operations Program Leader (Vacant):  
  The OPL oversees data collection, quality control, and dissemination of observational data from the office. This includes the operations of the cooperative observer program, climate data, river observations, and upper-air observations.  The OPL will fill in on data acquisition shifts as needed.
   
• Service Hydrologist (Darrin Hansing):  
  The SH is in charge of the office's hydrology program. This involves river, flood, and water-supply forecasts, and necessary research.  The hydrologist is the primary contact with external agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The hydrologist also fills in on data acquisition shifts as needed.
   
• Electronics Systems Analyst (Mark Stacey):  
  The ESA is in charge of overseeing all equipment maintenance at the office. This includes the local computer network, the main AWIPS computer system for the office, heating and cooling systems, the Automated Surface Observation System at area airports, the Doppler radar, and upper-air observation equipment.
   
• Information Technology Officer (Tom Spriggs):  
  The ITO provides applications and program support for the office. This includes installing, configuring, and maintaining local applications, as well as programs and scripts in both the Windows and Linux operating systems.
   
• Administrative Support Assistant (Debbie Johnson):
  The ASA performs technical aspects of all administrative programs and activities for the office.  This includes items related to budget, funds control, purchasing, procurement, contract monitoring, property, personnel actions, time and attendance, etc. The ASA also operates as a liaison with NWS Central Region Headquarters, and works with the personnel agency on administrative-type matters.
   
• Senior Meteorologists (James Auten, Ben Deubelbeiss, Chris Geelhart, Daryl Onton, Vacant)
  General Meteorologists (Mike Albano, Matt Barnes, Nicole Batzek, Alex Erwin, Kirk Huettl, Chuck Schaffer, Vacant, Vacant):  
  The meteorologists routinely work forecast operations. They are responsible for issuing public and aviation forecasts, severe weather warnings, river flood warnings, and work with external government partners to provide decision support services. They also conduct weather balloon launches, monitor NOAA Weather Radio, disseminate climate observation tables, and transmit Local Storm Reports during adverse weather conditions. The senior meteorologists serve as the shift supervisor as well.

• Electronics Technicians (Kyle Clark, Vacant):  
  The electronics technicians are responsible for maintaining the equipment needed for forecast operations. This includes the Doppler radar, automated observing systems, upper-air equipment, office computers, and NOAA Weather Radio systems. These technicians often have to work outdoors in all kinds of weather.

History

Our office opened in 1995, as a merger of the existing NWS offices in Peoria and Springfield. The twice-daily weather balloon launches began in February of that year, and warning operations began in late September. Forecast duties for central Illinois airports were transferred from the Chicago NWS office in April 1996, and we began routine public forecast duties in July 1999.

For a more complete history of weather services, visit the following links:

History of weather services in central Illinois:  https://www.weather.gov/ilx/nwshistory  
Histories of offices nationwide:  https://www.weather.gov/ilx/nws-wb-history 
History of upper-air weather observations in Illinois:  https://www.weather.gov/ilx/ua-history

Contact Us

Employment Opportunities:

• Careers in the National Weather Service
  The NWS has a variety of jobs, not all of which involve routine weather forecasting. Learn more about the opportunities available within our agency. 
   
• Apply for Jobs at the National Weather Service (USAJobs web site)