NWS Southern Region Completes Successful
Hurricane Awareness Tour

Visitors tour "Kermit", a Lockheed WP-3 Orion Hurricane Hunter Aircraft, during 2006 Gulf Coast Hurricane Awareness Tour (Photo: WFO Brownsville)

(May 18, 2006) - National Weather Service Forecast Offices in Brownsville, Texas and Lake Charles, La; Mobile, Ala.; and, Miami and Tampa, Fla. pulled out all of the stops to ensure a successful 2006 Gulf Coast Hurricane Awareness Tour. National Weather Service staffers, emergency managers, local officials, students, teachers and media representatives were all on hand as a Lockheed WP-3 Orion "Hurricane Hunter" aircraft taxied in for each leg of a five-day (May 1-5), five-city tour designed to increase hurricane awareness and encourage preparedness in vulnerable coastal and inland communities along the Gulf Coast and Florida.

By the end of the tour, more than 4,000 guests had toured the aircraft and visited with National Weather Service hurricane experts. This year's tour stops included the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport, Beaumont/Port Arthur's Southeast Texas Regional Airport, Mobile Regional Airport, Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla. and Tampa International Airport.

"While the National Hurricane Center does a great job of tracking these storms in the ocean, it is the local National Weather Service Forecast Office responsibility to provide the critical, life-saving information emergency managers, the media and our citizens need to respond appropriately," said Bill Proenza, director, National Weather Service Southern Region.

"Our local Weather Forecast Offices turned in outstanding performances during the active 2004 Hurricane Season and the record breaking 2005 Hurricane Season. I have no doubt they will continue to provide excellent service to our partners and citizens during the upcoming hurricane season."

The public awareness and preparedness campaign will continue during National Hurricane Preparedness Week (May 21-27). The 2006 Hurricane Season runs from June 1 through November 30.