National Weather Service - Little Rock, Arkansas...Silver Medal (Mar 1 1997 Tornado Outbreak)

The March 1st, 1997 Tornado Outbreak was one of the worst in Arkansas history. In all, 15 tornadoes killed 25 people...and it all happened in a span of about 3 hours. The National Weather Service Forecast Office in North Little Rock (NWSFO LIT) issued numerous severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings during the event, giving citizens of Arkansas over 45 minutes (in some cases) to protect life and property. For its actions, NWSFO LIT was awarded the prestigious Department of Commerce Silver Medal Award!

The Silver Medal Award was presented at the "Secretary's Honor Awards Ceremony" in Washington, D.C. (more below).

The NWS in Grand Forks, ND and the River Forecast Center in Minneapolis, MN accept Silver Medal Awards.

Silver Medal Awards are usually given to individuals or groups that provided outstanding service, such as the NWS in Grand Forks, ND and the River Forecast Center in Minneapolis, MN...both of which tackled devastating flooding in the upper midwest in the Spring of 1997.

Representing NWSFO LIT was Mr. Allen Lee (right), Meteorologist-In-Charge, and Mr. Ken Ziegenbein (left), a lead forecaster who was the principal radar operator on March 1st. They are pictured with Dr. Susan Zevin (center), the Deputy Director of the National Weather Service.

Allen B. Lee (Meteorologist-in-Charge) and Ken Ziegenbein (lead forecaster), both of NWSFO LIT stand on either side of Dr. Susan Zevin, Deputy Director of the NWS.

The award ceremony was held at the Hoover Auditorium in Washington, D.C.

The awards ceremony was held at the Hoover Auditorium of the Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C. on December 2nd, 1997.

The Silver Medal Award was brought back to Little Rock and was presented to the staff in a ceremony on December 4th, 1997.