Scattered severe thunderstorms are forecast across central and eastern North Dakota, as well as far northwest Minnesota Saturday (Slight Risk level 2 of 5). Damaging wind gusts are the primary threat. Elevated to critical fire weather conditions will persist through the weekend across the Western U.S. Isolated dry thunderstorms could lead to new fire starts over portions of the northern Rockies. Read More >
Edward Rappaport, Ph.D
Deputy Director
National Hurricane Center
Ed Rappaport has been with NOAA’s National Hurricane Center (NHC) for 31 years. Since 2000, he has served as NHC’s Deputy Director and, in stints totaling seven years-including the 2007 and 2017 hurricane seasons, its acting director. His more than 40-year career in meteorology comprises positions in forecasting, research, administration, management, academia and the media.
Dr. Rappaport began at NHC as a post- doctoral fellow for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. He has since worked in all of NHC’s organizational components: Front Office, Hurricane Specialist Unit (HSU), Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch, and Technology and Science Branch (TSB). He issued hurricane forecasts for nine years and has supervised both the HSU and TSB.
Dr. Rappaport is the operational co-chair of the United States Weather Research Program Joint Hurricane Testbed Steering Committee and the operational lead for the NOAA Hurricane Forecast Improvement Project. He chairs the Working Group for Hurricane and Winter Storm Operations and Research, facilitating agreements between federal agencies on annual updates to the National Hurricane Operations Plan.
He helps develop NHC’s long-term strategies, and define and coordinate much of the organization’s annual planning and day-to-day execution of work and budget. He also provides hurricane update briefings to the media, emergency managers and other officials at all levels of government in this country and abroad.
Dr. Rappaport received his Ph.D. with an emphasis in Atmospheric Science from Texas Tech University. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Washington.
His awards include the National Weather Service National Award for Leadership. He has received a Department of Commerce Bronze medal for applied research. He has shared in four Commerce Department Gold Medals-including as a forecaster during Hurricane Andrew, two NOAA Administrator's Awards for technical developments, two Bronze Medals for project management, the National Hurricane Conference Neil Frank Award, National Tropical Weather Conference Robert and Joanne Simpson Award, and the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology’s Richard H. Hagemeyer Award.
Dr. Rappaport has authored or coauthored 70 papers published in professional journals, books or conference proceedings. He has served on scientific panels, presented papers at technical conferences, and provided public talks.
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