The Memphis, TN Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) held its third meeting of the 1998-1999 year on 19 January 1999. The evening commenced with a brief business meeting. Items of interest included an announcement that the 1999 Memphis-Shelby County Science and Engineering fair will occur during mid-March and that local chapter judges are needed. AMS minority scholarships are available; contact Mark Isaminger for details. Four local chapter members attended the Dallas AMS conference. Reports indicated that the conference was packed with interesting symposia and presentations.

A key concern raised by the Memphis chapter chairperson was the issue of continued chapter survival. Isaminger mentioned that he has served continuously since 1994 in some role within the chapter and noticed that attendance, especially of late, has been poor. On the agenda for the March meeting will be an overview by NWSFO personnel of the recent local tornado events. The May meeting will likely be non-scientific in nature. As a notice to all members, attendance/interest at upcoming meetings will determine the future of the chapter.

The scheduled speakers for the evening became suddenly unavailable. In lieu of this unexpected occurrence, Isaminger made a slide show presentation showing the status of planned upgrades to the MEM Integrated Terminal Weather System prototype. Lincoln Lab currently operates four aviation weather related research field site locations in the USA, one of which is in Memphis. Isaminger's presentation focused on four areas

a) the new spec-compliant situation display,

b) new precipitation products, c) an upgrade to NEXEAD AP editing algorithm using a median filtering technique for removal of bad data points, and d) the availability of situation display images on the Internet for select users.

Another member also agreed to act as a second impromptu substitute for the scheduled speakers. Tom Nichols, an electronic engineer, provided an EMWIN (Emergency Manager's Weather Information Network) demonstration. EMWIN is the data counterpoint to NOAA weather radio. This system provides a continuous data-stream of weather watches/warnings along with radar/satellite data and forecast maps. An example of the systemTs capability includes weather data from the entire USA down to the county level, with data broadcast over the airways free of charge. According to Nichols, things are being prioritized locally, with an Internet version being set up presently, with improvements being made to the Internet connections. EMA officials will also have the capability to automatically activate sirens with the system. This very reliable system is in its infancy and is looking for additional funding, i.e. hazmat personnel would benefit from detailed wind information. The Web address for additional EMWIN information is: http://www.ecams.org

Respectfully submitted,
Benjamin Boorman, Secretary and Treasurer

Minutes Approved,
Mark Isaminger, Chairman