Bill Read retiring from NHC; Richard Knabb new director

[senorpepr]

Per Jim Cantore on Twitter (@JimCantore):

A great BIG Congratulations to @TWCDrKnabb for being named the 11th Director of the National Hurricane Center. #weather

[senorpepr]

More on Knabb's announcment: http://www.weather.com/news/knabb-becom ... r-20120518

[cycloneye]

I think he is a great choice to be the director.

[TropicalAnalystwx13]

Great decision.

[vbhoutex]

I think it is a great decision!!

[TropicalAnalystwx13]

Here are all of the discussions Dr. Rick Knabb wrote concerning Hurricane Katrina while he worked as a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center between 2005-2008.

Tropical Depression Twelve Discussion Number 2

Hurricane Katrina Discussion Number 11

Hurricane Katrina Discussion Number 16

Hurricane Katrina Discussion Number 20

Hurricane Katrina Discussion Number 21

Hurricane Katrina Discussion Number 22

[tolakram]

Excellent!

[mf_dolphin]

Dr Knabb is a great choice!

[Evil Jeremy]

Great pick. Someone who knows the inner workings of the center, and knows how to talk to and for the media, having been on TWC recently. Max Mayfield was a face for the NHC in a way I don't think the latest directors were able to establish (largely in part due to their short tenures), but Knabb I see as being a good face for the center in times of crisis, in addition to being an excellent meteorologist.

[otowntiger]

Why is it that no one is able to keep this job longer than a year or two since Bob Sheets and Neil Frank set the standard for long term tenures. Since Sheets left no one has kept it very long. It seems that the only ones that get promoted to Director are the ones that are ready to retire. Dunno?

[vbhoutex]

Dr. Knabb was sworn in today. I didn't know they had a swearing in ceremony.

[JonathanBelles]

Why is it that no one is able to keep this job longer than a year or two since Bob Sheets and Neil Frank set the standard for long term tenures. Since Sheets left no one has kept it very long. It seems that the only ones that get promoted to Director are the ones that are ready to retire. Dunno?

I figure that there are a couple reasons that NHC directors only last 5 years or so...

#1 Being director is a stressful job...saving lives is not easy
#2 Dealing with unpredictability has got to be difficult emotionally, and you have to be ok with being wrong
#3 The hours...they crowd themselves during six months of the year, and may come in blocks of a week on call at a time, sometimes 18-24 hour shifts...and they rotate. Physically this is very hard on most people
#4 Being away from family. Directors aren't usually from Miami, so their miami homes are probably temporary
#5 Weather is ALWAYS changing as is the industry. You have to be able to multitask and consistently reinvent yourself.

There are probably more reasons, but I think the above are more than enough to shorten the lifetime of a directorship.

[cycloneye]

Here is a news story of Bill Read.

http://galvestondailynews.com/story/321162

Published June 11, 2012
Meteorologist Bill Read was in a reflective mood as he recalled the ups and downs of his four decade-long professional career for a group of fellow weather experts at a retirement dinner in League City on Friday.

June 2 marked Read’s last day as director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami and he said he can’t wait to return home to Galveston County for this year’s hurricane season.

His replacement, Rick Knabb, has moved from the Weather Channel. Knabb also has family in the Galveston County area.