Although it was four years ago that I left my position as Deputy Meteorologist in Charge of the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Peachtree City, it seems like only yesterday. I left Georgia to become the Meteorologist in Charge (MIC) of the National Weather Service office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was a demanding and richly rewarding experience for me, but I always had a desire to return to Georgia some time. That opportunity presented itself when Mr. Carlos Garza, the MIC for this office for 18 years, announced his retirement. Early this summer, I was selected as the new MIC for Peachtree City, and on July 3, 2000, I returned to Georgia to assume that role.

As the office's chief administrator, I hope to bring to this office my experiences in severe weather operations, scientific evaluation, customer-focused service, and, oh yes, weather forecasting. My intention is to build on the successes of my predecessors, while offering new insights and innovations for our products, services, and operations.

Yes, you can read between those lines and surmise that some changes are on the way. By November 1, for example, we hope to be sporting a new look on our web site. We will also be converting our daily thunderstorm outlook into an "all hazards" product known as the Hazardous Weather Outlook. This text product will be accompanied by a graphical image (on our web page) to better identify the areas under a threat of significant weather. Still more improvements are being planned for our climatology program, our storm warning content, our interaction with media and emergency managers, and our forecast products.

Suffice it to say, changes are on the way, but only those intended to improve the quality of our products and services. I will work hard to ensure these changes are for the better, and that your needs are being met. Speaking of your needs, I welcome your comments regarding our site and our services. You may send them to me at...

lans.rothfusz@noaa.gov