January Meeting to feature speaker Mike Welvaert, discussing the Effects of Snowfall on Spring Flooding

Scientists really can predict how much spring flooding the region will see by studying the amount of winter snowfall. The speaker for the January meeting of the Friends of the Black River will share this knowledge with the organization’s members and their guests.
Mike Welvaert, service hydrologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in La Crosse will be the presenter at the Jan. 11 meeting of the Friends of the Black River. The meeting will be held in the community room of the Co-op Credit Union beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Walvaert was named the new service hydrologist at NWS in 2009 after moving to La Crosse from Missouri in 1998. He studied meteorology at the University of North Dakota and began his career as a meteorologist intern with the National Weather Service in International Falls, MN.  He worked in North Dakota until being promoted to journeyman forecaster at Kansas City, MO.
Welvaert’s presentation will give an overview of the NWS and its available products and services, with an emphasis on the hydrologic program. He will also discuss the factors used to flood forecasts, both in the spring and during summer events. A short review of the record flooding along the Black River in September 2010 will also be part of his presentation.
There will be time for discussion concerning how the NWS can better interact with user groups to more fully understand how the agency uses its data and what it can do to enhance its service.
No admission will be charged to attend the meeting and presentation, and the public is encouraged to attend.
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