Celebrate the science of weather on Saturday

Milda Vaitkus, project manager in UNL's School of Natural Resources, runs the "Where's the Weather" booth during the 2014 Weatherfest. The 16th annual Weatherfest will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium will r
Milda Vaitkus, project manager in UNL's School of Natural Resources, runs the "Where's the Weather" booth during the 2014 Weatherfest. The 16th annual Weatherfest will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium will r

Only at Weatherfest can you be your own TV Weathercaster.

And meet a number of professional TV forecasters, see a storm-chase vehicle up close and participate in dozens of weather- and science-related activities.

This Saturday, April 16, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 16th annual Weatherfest returns from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hardin Hall on the corner of 33rd and Holdrege streets. The Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium will be from 1 to 4 p.m. also at Hardin Hall.

Volunteers still are needed for the event. Contact Ken Dewey, Weatherfest organizer, at 402-472-2908 or kdewey1@unl.edu to help man a booth or paint faces.
Weatherfest will feature hands-on weather-related experiments; weather- and science-related exhibits; a weather-balloon launch; summer weather camp updates; Nebraska Task Force Search and Rescue Dogs demonstrations; emergency management and storm chase vehicles; and the “Maps and More” store in Hardin Hall lobby, which will have weather-relate items for sale.

This year’s festivities also include the “green screen,” where participants can try their skill at being a weathercaster.

The Central Plains Severe Weather Symposium will start at 1 p.m. in Hardin Hall auditorium. Dave Pearson, of the National Weather Service in Omaha, will talk about why southeastern Nebraska experienced flooding in May 2015, and James Davidsaver, director of Lancaster County Emergency Management, will analyze how the extreme weather event was handled by Emergency Management agencies.
The severe weather symposium will include a Lancaster County storm spotter training workshop at 2:15 p.m. in the auditorium. Nebraska’s storm spotter network is considered to be one of the best in the nation. The workshop will be open to the public so people can learn more about how severe weather forms in Nebraska.
Hardin Hall is 2 miles from Memorial Stadium where the Huskers will play their Spring Game that afternoon. Husker fans are welcome to join the festivities on East Campus before the game and make it a two-event Saturday.
Food trucks will be parked in front of Hardin Hall throughout the day. Parking for the event will be free.

For more information, visit http://go.unl.edu/weatherfest or facebook.com/cpsws .

— Shawna Richter-Ryerson, School of Natural Resources communications associate

More details at: http://go.unl.edu/5yf8